James Donaldson Park is best known for hosting the Grand Forks International baseball tournament (GFI) in late summer.
However, with no GFI scheduled for this year, the majority of the field’s users this year are the junior and men’s local baseball teams.
Tom Starchuk a passionate baseball player and team organizer of the Grand Forks Blues team told the Gazette that the professional sized baseball field has been falling by the wayside.
“We have pride in the park,” said Starchuk. “We have had season openers where the grass has been (91 cm) high behind the home plate and it’s embarrassing.”
In an effort to keep the city park up to baseball standards, players have been taking on some of the upkeep and maintenance themselves.
“We (the men’s team) have work parties, we will show up here and fix a base or weed the mounds,” said Starchuk.
After last year’s GFI tournament, the city tore up the infield with the intention of re-turfing it. The turf was not set in time for this year’s local baseball season, said City of Grand Forks CAO Doug Allin.
“It basically wouldn’t have taken in time for this year’s season so the turf would have been ruined because it wouldn’t have been set,” Allin said. “We put the temporary dressing on the field, which will be utilized on the other infields after we remove it and put in the turf this fall.”
Starchuk said that the infield was dressed with clay just in time for their season.
“We thought we just about lost our season,” said Starchuk.
Allin said that the city met with the men’s baseball team to talk about the field use, preparation for the season and just trying to establish better communications.
Starchuk said the park has everything it needs to be a top-tier baseball field, it just needs some more care and attention.
“Our team has played in the GFI for the last three years and we have been hearing stuff from the other teams how this used to be such a nice park,” said the Blues baseball player. “Now infielders and outfielders are kind of whining about the lips of the grass and the unevenness of the field.”
Starchuk said the city has jumped on board lately with the upkeep and maintenance of the park and with the new turf being laid in the fall, things are looking better for baseball players.
“I know that (the park) is a municipally-owned facility and the municipality is responsible for the maintenance on it and we are responsible to work with the field users,” said Allin.