Last year the district hired Activitas, a specialized firm focusing on planning, landscape architecture, civil engineering, and athletic facility design to evaluate options to improve the condition of the Don Palmer field after the artificial turf field was soundly defeated at the polls. As part of that work, they analyzed current use and determined that the Don Palmer field was use at a rate of 6.8 times its capacity.
In response to that, the district is considering numerous approaches to address the significant overuse of the Don Palmer field.
1. We are looking at expanding the right field of the baseball field, going into the nearby woods, to make a regulation soccer pitch.
2. We are doubling the maintenance schedule of the fields (e.g. twice the over-seeding and aeration.)
3. We are seriously considering using a hybrid approach instead of an “organic only” approach. Limited use of inorganic pesticides and fertilizers on our athletic fields would result in a 10-20% improvement in field conditions.
This survey is about question #3 above: implementing limited use of inorganic pesticides and fertilizers.
An Oct. 1 discussion of the athletic fields by the Five Town CSD School Board may be watched here:
https://www.youtube.com/live/h0ZL-Sks_ds?si=ctKZV7aT5C0tJpAX&t=953
A Nov. 5 discussion of the athletic fields by the Five Town CSD School Board may be watched here:
https://www.youtube.com/live/OAjVio4BOD4?si=9t6_uc5U8LoDNfKV&t=682