“Off-Season Field Improvements Continue at Boyd Park”
Just one year ago Boyd Park underwent a dramatic transformation as a new sod infield was installed over the Thanksgiving holiday. After busy spring and summer seasons, which saw all three Central Baseball host major tournaments and dozens of home games on the new turf, the field at Boyd Park received a welcome break from action this fall as well as some nice late summer rains. Coach Joe Benes took advantage of this hiatus to engage Odeys Sports Field Experts for some needed renovations and alterations to the field. The baseball teams also pitched in with some manpower on a warm Sunday in early November to help tidy things up for the coming winter.
The improvements made to the field by Odeys included installing a brickdust warning track around the infield from dugout to dugout, installing crushed aggregate basepaths, installing coaching boxes along the first and third baselines, re-aligning the bases, pitching mound and home plate and constructing a new pitching mound.
According to Coach Benes, it was important to get a professional outfit like Odeys involved to “make sure that we do things the right way.” Odeys was also involved in overseeding and fertilizing the field and will stay on board to provide turf management advice. “These guys are first class all the way,” said Coach Benes. “They’ll help us get this field looking great and keep it that way.”
Other recent improvements also include the new batting cages that were constructed by Bill Smith and his colleagues from the Bricklayer’s Union.
Many thanks to Odeys, Coach Benes, Mr. Smith and all of those who have contributed many long hours to building a home ballfield for Central Baseball.
Central High School’s Boyd Park
“Ronin Field gets additive called ‘Turface’ that’s less expensive”
Thanks to a new drying agent applied to Ronin Field last week, youth baseball organizers hope there will be fewer rainouts and more games played this summer.
Last week, workers tilled a clay-based aggregate called Turface into the existing infield dirt to make it absorb moisture faster. The field was then dragged and graded.
Fremont High School currently uses Turface in the school’s shot put pit.
‘They say if there’s an inch of rain, we ought to be able to play in a couple of hours,” said Bill Peck, Fremont Nighthawks president. “If we get backed up with rainouts, sometimes games get canceled. I hope this stops that from happening.”
At last week’s city council meeting, council members voted to help fund the $9,500 project with $4,200 in keno funds.
The price of the project originally was estimated at between $8,100 and $8,600, but the organization decided to have clay bricks about an inch under the Turface placed under the pitching mound and batter’s boxes so they don’t require as much maintenance.
The Fremont Nighthawks baseball organization used money from past candy bar fund-raisers and playing dues to pay for the rest of the cost.
In the past, the Nighthawks baseball organization used Agrilime as a drying agent on the Clemmons Park ball field. The infield has to be completely torn up and the Agrilime placed under the dirt for it to work.
“(Turface) is half the price of Agrilime,” Peck said. ‘This project cost $9,500. It cost us a little over $16,000 for Agrilime at Clemmons Field.”
Peck said this year there are 86 players signed up for seven teams in the 9- and 10-year-old league that starts its games April 13. Each team plays 18 games on the field and two days a week the Todd Valley girts softball league uses the field.
With that many games to be played, postponing as few as possible is important, he said.
“If it rains in the morning, there should be no reason we can’t play in the afternoon,” Peck said. “It’s going to take a heck of a lot of rain to cancel a game.”
Missouri Western State College
I would like to share my experience with Odeys Field Experts. Odeys service and product knowledge was both impressive and professional.
I am the Head Softball Coach at Missouri Western State College. My first season with the college was 2002. At that time, our field surface was a major issue. During that season, we had to cancel games as well as move our home contests off-campus due to rain. The worst moment was moving our senior day home game to Maryville (our rivals) because our surface couldn’t handle the rain we had received two days prior.
On the rare occasion that the field was dry, we had issues with dust. The surface was so finely ground, the wind would pick it up and blow it around. We joked that most of our surface was on the football field located just below our softball fields. Our fans had to deal with large amounts of dirt blowing on them during our games.
I contacted Odeys in the summer of 2002. Pat O’Donnell took time to talk through my concerns. On our first telephone conversation, he questioned the location of the field, wind exposure, drainage, and availability of irrigation. He then took the time to come to St. Joseph from Omaha to test the existing surface before recommending a product.
The end result is our current Turface field. The difference was astonishing. The surface not only took water, but the dirt stayed on the field. We were able to play after rainstorms with just a little grooming. Our fans appreciated the clean environment that they were able to watch the games in. The surface is easy to keep playable. It is firm yet is more conducive to sliding than other surfaces in our conference.
Due to budget issues, we decided to only surface one of our two fields that summer. This spring it was very telling to see the difference of the two surfaces. We wouldn’t be able to walk on our practice field yet, we could have a full practice on our Turface field. From a high vantage point, you could see the water wick off of our game field while it sat on the practice field.
Most importantly is the customer service that Odeys provided us. After the installation of our new surface, I had a lot of questions. I wanted to make sure that we handled the Turface correctly. My telephone messages were always immediately returned. My questions were thoroughly answered and explained in understandable language.
I strongly recommend Odeys to anyone who is considering a new playing surface. If you have any questions, I would be happy to discuss this matter further with you. My office number is (816) 271-4480.
Mount Michael High School
I would like to thank Pat and his company for turning our baseball field into a top-notch facility.
Two years ago we called in Odey’s to evaluate our field and our continued problems with a wet and non-playable infield after it rained. We would have to wait two days after a rain to play, and consequently would have to cancel many games due to wet conditions.
Pat came in and evaluated our infield and set up a plan to resurrect our facility. He worked with us and our tight budget, and was able to transform our field into a top-notch place to play. We now can play the same day after a night’s rain or even a morning shower.
Pat and his company have been a great asset to me and my department. Keep up the great work!
College of Saint Mary
I cannot thank you enough for the tremendous work you and your staff did on our fields this year! Your commitment and attention to detail are without question, and I am, quite frankly, amazed when I consider the “before” and “after.”
Upon taking the job of Athletics Director at College of Saint Mary in November of 2003, the softball and soccer field issues I faced were overwhelming. Odey’s came in, provided education about repair and maintenance of our fields, and made it all possible.
Many officials, players, and coaches commented throughout the year on the quality of our fields. My staff has stated the fields look and play better than they ever have in the history of CSM Athletics. This is due to your work.
Your integrity, work ethic, and quality are priceless to me as the leader of an intercollegiate athletics department. I thank you, again, for your devotion to our programs and sincerely mean it when I say YOU ARE THE BEST!
Alice Buffet Magnet Middle School
As a new middle school, Alice Buffett Magnet Middle School required extensive grounds work to create our athletic fields. We had open fields that contained vast amounts of construction debris and concrete. Odeys Field Experts has been the key company involved in the completion of the football field, irrigation system, track expansion (from four to six lanes), track and field events area (long jump, discus, high jump and shot put), soccer game field, practice field, athletic fencing, scoreboard installation and the landscaping and ground cover for the athletic areas. They also oversaw the design, blueprint development, and construction of our athletic building. The athletic building contains a storage area, a concessions stand, and men’s and women’s restrooms. The bleacher pads and bleachers were also ordered, constructed and installed by Odeys.
Beginning with the initial planning meetings and continuing through the implementation of the project, Odeys Field Experts’ professionalism was evident in their responsive and personable staff that was available during every aspect of the project. Most impressive is the knowledge and expertise of Pat O’Donnell and his team. They have made a name for themselves in Omaha as turf experts and field maintenance specialists. Odeys is able to subcontract everything from land moving, grading, landscaping to construction work. As a result, they are the only vendor that the school needed to interface with on a regular basis.
The school has received high praise from the community and was touted by Bob Danenhauer, the Omaha Public Schools Supervisor of Athletics, as the premier middle school athletic complex in the metro area. All codes, athletic standards and specifications, and owner preferences were adhered to with diligence and accuracy. The staff at Odeys also has adjusted their work schedule based upon the needs of our school schedule. In all aspects, it has been a pleasure to work with Odeys. They are a quality company that works to provide the customer the best value possible, within the parameters of the project budget. The athletes, students, and parents take great pride in using this safe and well-conditioned athletic complex. The beautiful grounds speak for themselves as to a job well-done. It is with my highest commendations that I recommend Odeys Field Experts. They are a quality, professional and personable company that always puts the customer needs first.
Creighton University
It is my pleasure to submit this testimonial to attest to the quality work Pat O’Donnell and his Odeys team did on our baseball field in 2007 as a part of our infield replacement and renovation. This project was a replacement of our old style infield synthetic turf, and a refit of our cutouts and pitcher’s mound. We contracted with Odeys to help us with the many problems we were having with drainage in our base pits, and Pat went right in and determined what the problem was, quickly determined the solution, and made it happen within a time frame that allowed our baseball team to start their fall practices on time. Our pitcher’s mound was a mess, and it was not up to NCAA specifications. He worked with the synthetic turf contractor to ensure that it was up to the current NCAA specification, but he ensured that it was of the highest quality for our pitchers. He and his team worked many hours above and beyond the call of duty to ensure this happened, and did it to the high expectations of our coaching staff. We now have pits that are of the highest quality, they drain well, and are easy to maintain. He worked in conjunction with the synthetic turf contractor to ensure that our infield was of the highest playability for our student-athletes.
I highly recommend Odeys for any field renovations that you would consider. They will do the job!