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.--EUGENE Public Works <br /> Maintenance Division <br /> City of Eugene <br /> 1820 Roosevelt Boulevard <br /> Eugene, Oregon 97402 <br /> (541) 682-4800 <br /> (541) 682 -4882 FAX <br /> February 22, 1999 <br /> Report on the Condition of the Lane County Softball/Bond Sports Complex <br /> As you requested, staff having expertise in grounds and sports field maintenance have inspected <br /> the former Bond Sports Complex to evaluate its readiness/suitability to operate as a rental facility <br /> and/or to function as a site to which games displaced by construction and renovation activity <br /> funded by the park & open space bond could be relocated. Briefly, the Bond Complex is a <br /> marginal site for either purpose and making it fully functional for a single season would require a <br /> significant and expensive renovation effort. Because of the minimal level of maintenance invested <br /> in the site by previous operators, rehabilitation work on fields and the site in general are needed in <br /> addition to normal seasonal start-up work. <br /> As much of the low -lying site is currently flooded, this report focuses on the field conditions and <br /> maintenance needs that can be identified at this time. Surface water moves across the site <br /> throughout the winter and collects on the fields, leaving them saturated and marginal for play until <br /> early to mid - summer. (Photo 1) Airport staff who are familiar with site history and conditions <br /> report that standing water is common through late April or even into May and saturated soil <br /> conditions continue into June. <br /> Maintenance needs begin at the access road, which is filled with potholes and requires additional <br /> crushed rock and grading. The access road would require periodic maintenance and grading <br /> throughout the summer months. (Photo 2) <br /> One of the six fields in the original complex has been used as a dumping ground for spoils and is <br /> not in a playable condition. The others currently have either standing water or saturated infield <br /> and/or outfield soils that would make play unpleasant and impractical until summer. A number of <br /> fence panels have fallen down and would need to be re -set. Some grading or other renovation <br /> work would be necessary to prepare any field for play. (Photo 3) <br /> The two westernmost fields in the complex have apparently received more attention and are in <br /> better condition that the others. These would require less front -end renovation to be made ready <br /> for play. Safety/liability issues such as the open ditch (Photo 4) would have to be addressed. The <br /> infields would require cultivation and grading. The outfields could benefit from routine sports <br /> turf renovation techniques such as aeration top- dressing and/or over - seeding. Beyond those <br /> steps, these two fields could be useable once the saturated soil conditions abated, if irrigation <br /> issues also can be resolved. <br />