City to upgrade softball diamond with artificial turf

The City of Port Washington is joining the ranks of school districts throughout the area and installing an artificial turf infield on its softball field next to Thomas Jefferson Middle School.

The Board of Public Works on Tuesday approved spending $150,000 to install the turf infield. The work will be done by Midwest Sport & Turf System, which submitted the lowest of three bids for the project.

That price could increase by $8,000 if the Port-Saukville School District agrees to pay to have the high school’s pirate logo installed on the field, which is used by the high school girls’ softball team.

School District Director of Business Services Mel Nettesheim said Tuesday that the district is interest in the project.

“I think it’s a great opportunity for collaboration,” she said. “Maybe it (the logo) ends up being a ‘PW’ rather than a pirate,” she said, to reflect that collaboration.

Nettesheim said a turf field is something district officials are happy to see.

“Our athletic director and coaches are ecstatic about his. Already this season we’ve had to cancel two (softball) games and reschedule them to Grafton, which has turf, because of the weather.”

City Engineer Roger Strohm said the project has been in the works since 2021, noting the infield is in such poor shape it needs to be replaced.

Recreation Director Tyler Mentzel said in an interview that turf will make it possible to play earlier in the season.

Noting Port High’s softball game was recently moved to Grafton because the field was too wet to play on, Mentzel said, “Had we had turf on the field, that likely wouldn’t have happened.”

A turf field will also mean less maintenance, he said, noting the lines won’t need to be chalked before each day of play but instead will be painted on the turf. The city will also install a system that allows the length between bases to be adjusted for different ages, so the diamond can be used by more teams than it is now.

Right now, he said, the high school softball team and Port Youth Baseball and Softball use the field.

And, Mentzel said, the turf makes the field more playable.

“There won’t be potholes and unnaturally smooth spots that make balls take weird bounces,” he said. “When you have turf, the field will have a perfectly smooth surface.”

When the turf is installed, he added, the city will do some work on the outfield to try and flatten it as well, he said.

“There are some potholes and things that need to be fixed,” Mentzel said.

Board Chairman Jason Wittek questioned if it’s common to have a turf field, and Strohm said it’s becoming more and more common.

A turf field will be more reliable and provide a better playing surface, Public Works Director Rob Vanden Noven said.

Turf has a life of about 10 years, Strohm said, adding that when it is replaced the cost will probably be half to one-third of the initial installation since the drainage layer will be in place.

The board also approved a $136,900 contract with Century Fence to replace the fence at the softball diamond and to install fencing for the new pickleball courts at Kolbach Park.