MARBLEHEAD — The Recreation & Parks Commission has approved additional funding to support a major restoration project at Seaside Park, as worsening drainage conditions continue to disrupt games at one of the community’s most prominent baseball fields.
Rec and Parks members voted unanimously to contribute up to $20,000 from the department’s revolving fund to help complete planned improvements to the Seaside Park baseball field that will start in August.
The project is aimed at correcting longstanding drainage and grading problems that coaches and recreation officials say have made the field increasingly difficult to use.
“I think I stopped counting at about 12 games that were moved off Seaside Park because it just can’t be played on after minimal rain,” Marblehead High School’s Director of Athletics, Kent Wheeler, told the Commission.
Wheeler said years of wear have created uneven playing surfaces and poor water runoff throughout the infield and outfield. He explained that soil from the infield has gradually shifted beneath the grass, creating raised edges and bowl-shaped depressions that trap water after rainstorms.
As a result, school and community teams have increasingly been forced to relocate games.
“It used to be we’d have to play like one or two varsity games behind the high school. Now, it’s multiple games back. We have probably played more games back there than we have at Seaside.”
Wheeler added that the deterioration has been mounting over the past two years, and although it was “laser leveled” a few years ago, “it really hasn’t been fixed, right in a long, long time.”
Wheeler said the condition of the field is now “worse than ever.
Planned improvements include removing existing grass and organic material, rebuilding and laser-leveling the infield to eliminate low spots and uneven transitions, and improving drainage throughout the field.
The project will also include irrigation adjustments, installation of new loam and infield mix materials, reconstruction of the pitcher’s mound and batter’s areas to NFHS specifications, and installation of new Kentucky Bluegrass sod across the infield and transition areas. The improvements are designed to create a smoother, more reliable playing surface while enhancing player safety and reducing weather-related cancellations.
Wheeler said the total project cost was put out to bid at approximately $70,000.
About $50,000 has already been committed through fundraising and outside contributions, including $15,000 from the Shattuck Fund. Wheeler said that Marblehead Youth Baseball is also looking to help fundraise for the project.
The additional town funding approved this week is expected to cover any remaining shortfall if final construction bids exceed current estimates.
Construction is expected to begin after the summer baseball season concludes in late August to ensure the field is ready for spring play next year.
Commission members and local baseball supporters described the project as a long-term investment in preserving one of the town’s signature athletic facilities.
Founder of the Marblehead Seasiders, a men’s amateur baseball team, Joe McKane thanked the Commission for the funds.
“ Seaside Park is a gem,” he said.
