Play Ball! Renovations Revealed For Fairmont Park Field

Next year, the baseball field won’t flood and cause the cancellation of the little-league season at Fairmont Park, if newly revealed renovation plans bear fruit.

Fifteen Fair Haven Heights residents gathered with raincoats and umbrellas at the Fairmont Baseball Park to hear those plans firsthand Tuesday evening.

City Chief Landscape Architect Katherine Jacobs and City Engineer Giovanni Zinn showed up to explain the four-year process of planned renovations.

Due to the field’s lack of drainage, last year the season for 8 – 12-year-olds of the Dom Aitro League was cancelled because the field remained flooded.

The plan proposes that underground drainage be installed along the outer field area to drain out the excess water past both fields.

Zinn and Jacobs plan to present the plan to the Parks Commission next week.

The plan also includes the addition of field lighting, relocation of both dugouts off-field, a batting cage, a two-sided score board, new turf and clay, realignment of bases and foul poles, a renovated irrigation system, electical and kitchen building upgrades, a water fountain, and parking lot lights.

Two years ago, State Sen. Martin Looney and State Rep. Al Paolillo Jr., who joined the crowd Tuesday, worked with the city to form a preliminary budget for the field reconstruction. They then worked together to secure a state grant of $575,000 to put towards the project.

“This is an investment in our children and our community,” Paolillo said.

To further control flooding of the field, two three-foot terraced retaining walls are a part of the proposal plan, to block off a three-foot steep slope behind the dugout of the smaller back field. Jacobs said the retaining walls will help to stop soil from being washed onto the field. This is meant to stabilize the soil from the slope and can be used as a seating area.

Some residents asked about possible additional improvements like fixing wet spots on the sidewalks, replacing worn wooden benches, or installing security cameras.

Zinn said security cameras have been brought to the discussion in the past. The idea hasn’t been added to the plans because of a concern about accessing internet backhaul for law enforcement to readily access the cameras, he said.

Neighbor Rose Bonito joined the meeting to hear about the proposed improvements to the historic park. Bonito recalled bringing her kids to the park for walks years ago.

“Kids need this place,” she said. ​“We have to preserve it to introduce them to the great sport of baseball and make it enjoyable and safe.”

Dom Aitro League President Edward Santiago filled in residents who joined the meeting late. Over the past four years, Santiago and Field Director Donna Caldeira have organized walk throughs and meetings with city officials to plan renovations for the park.

Residents also asked about a previously discussed plaque for former President Mark Gambardella, who died in 2018. Santiago said he plans to work with Gambardella’s son to decide on the wording and layout of the plaque before the end of the year.

The idea of a mural on the side of the concession building was also discussed.

Caldeira said in the past she was told by the city that the mural couldn’t be done in fear of it causing youth to spray graffiti other parts of the building. After the death of 16-year-old Jericho Scott, who was gunned down in 2015, a youth tagged the concession building with the phrase ​“RIP J.” Caldeira had no issue with the memorializing graffiti done to keep Scott’s memory alive at the field. But after the building was tagged once, Caldeira returned to find a dozen more taggings on the building days after the first. The new ones included curse words and other inappropriate phrases. Caldeira had to paint over the graffiti herself to rid the building of all the graffiti, meaningful or not. 

“After that, the city said no to a mural,” she said.

Zinn urged Caldeira to reach out to the city with a mural idea if she still is interested in beautifying the building.

Scheduling for the project is still in the works. Zinn and Jacobs said they hope to avoid interrupting the upcoming summer season for the league. However, many of the improvements can be made during the season without interruption, like some of the drainage piping that is outside of the field.

Caldeira has been pushing for these improvements because she has ​“seen what the the streets can do to kids.” Caldeira expressed hope that the improved field will help the league to get more sponsors to be home to more kids.

This year Caldeira sponsored six kids to avoid turning them away.

“My limit is usually two,” she said. ​“It’s hard when you know if they’re not here they could just be at home stuck to a screen or getting into trouble.”