Blocksidge Field in line for makeover in Swampscott

SWAMPSCOTT – Students bearing diplomas and footballs stride across it each year, but a $2.5 million proposal to rebuild Blocksidge Field may add field hockey and lacrosse sticks and soccer balls to the hallowed – albeit proposed-to-be artificial – turf.”There’s like a gazillion reasons to have a turf field,” said Recreation Director Danielle Strauss. “(Blocksidge) is sitting there empty every single day waiting for a game because you want to have a field that’s in optimum conditions to prevent injuries and provide the best playing surface. This will be an all-purpose field with new stands, press box, lights? I think this is totally worth it.”Selectman Jill Sullivan said that improvements to Blocksidge Field have been a priority for approximately a decade. About seven or eight years ago, a committee of residents and town officials hired a consultant to redesign Phillips Park to allow a more efficient use of space. But the proposed changes cost $5 million and were shelved, committee member and resident Linso Van der Burg said.This summer, citizens and officials began focusing specifically to improvements to Blocksidge rather than the entire park. Town Administrator Andrew Maylor announced Nov. 9 that he planned to allocate $1.85 million in the capital improvement budget to a $2.5 million project to make Blocksidge an artificial turf, multi-sport field with lights. Private money would provide the balance of the funds, officials said.According to a preliminary proposal, the existing grass field surrounded by a track will be replaced with an artificial turf field that can accommodate football, soccer, field hockey and lacrosse. Lights for night-games will surround the field and a paved parking lot with 155 spaces will be located behind the new bleachers on the home side of the field. Strauss said that the town’s budget will provide the field surface and the lights. Private individuals will raise money for the scoreboard, press box, goal posts and bleachers.Town officials agreed that the artificial surface will enable more use of the field. Sports officials recommend a grass field not be used for 24 hours after an inch of rain, Strauss said. That’s caused many problems this year.”Field hockey, for instance, was able to practice on their field twice the entire month of October – a day before their tournament, they couldn’t even practice,” Strauss said.Sullivan noted increased use at Blocksidge would alleviate pressure on other town fields.”If you look at the overall needs of town, part of the problem is that our fields are overused,” she said. “We’re constantly juggling them and have never had the opportunity to leave any fields fallow or re-seed them because they are always in use. It’s not just only about that park, but relieving pressure on all our fields.”Van der Burg said that the next step involves forming a capital committee to raise the necessary private money. He said he was optimistic that the $700,000 was “in the doable range.” He said the goal was to have some donations lined up by the time Town Meeting meets in May, and that construction could start in summer 2013.The only downside, he said, would be that the lighted tennis courts would be removed. He mentioned that the committee was investigating moving the lights to the new tennis courts behind the Middle School. Van der Burg noted that there is room for stands on both sides of the field, although they are not shown in the drawing. Furthermore, the proposed concessions stand may not be immediately built or be a permanent structure.”The football supporters have indicated they’re more than happy to give up a concessions stand to get the field built,” he noted.Cyrus Moulton can be reached at [email protected].