Sparta's girls sports to match funds for Unglerman field's face lift

If approved, upgraded field could be completed by fall Sparta — A girls’ sports organization hopes Sparta Township will help fund some upgrades to Ungerman Field. The Sparta Girls Sports Inc. plans to match a $120,000 bond ordinance, which was introduced at the council’s July 25 meeting. “The genesis of this project was four to five years ago,” said Jim Peters, who, together with co-president Larry Anker, oversees Sparta’s girls sports. The organization includes youth recreation and travel softball as well as girls’ field hockey. It has managed to save $120,000 over the past six years or so, raising most of the money through tournaments sponsored by the girls’ travel softball league. The biggest fundraiser is the School’s Out Tournament, said Peters, which occurs annually one week after school lets out. Approximately 1,300 to 1,400 girls participate in the event, and 3,000 people attend the tournament each year. “That means money from tournament fees, concessions, and the sale of T-shirts,” said Peters. “It’s like a mini-carnival.” According to Virginia Mohr, the Sparta recreation director, approving the ordinance would mean upgrades to the smaller of Ungerman’s two fields, to occur in two phases. The bond ordinance would cover only the first phase. The town will first tackle drainage problems on the field. After heavy rains, water runs off the adjacent parking lots to flood the field. “Right now, the field isn’t playable three days a week,” said Peters. According to Mohr, a significant portion of the town’s share of funding would be used to upgrade electricity to the site. The building that currently houses the electrical components for both of the fields is in disrepair and would be taken down, and smaller, standalone electrical boxes will be installed, she said. Upgrades are planned for the dugouts as well, said Town Manager Henry Underhill upon the first reading of the ordinance. “We want to fund the basics, including the dugouts and the storage facility,” he said. “They’re beyond their natural lives. They [the association] can fund the extras.” The council hopes to solicit donations from the community and to do some work in-house to save money. The softball organization will install the artificial turf and enclose the field with 10-foot fences. The field will be locked and secured when not in use. If enough money is left over, underground wiring will be installed for outside lighting. In the second phase of the project, Sparta Girls Sports would like to see a press box built with storage beneath it, better seating for audiences, and outside lighting to resemble a mini-professional arena “We had really big plans for the field before,” said Peters. “We’ve actually scaled them back quite a bit.” All parties involved agree that the renovated field could be used by other teams besides softball. Softball teams would use the field in the spring and summer, and, once the field’s night lighting is installed, football teams could practice there in the fall. The conversion to artificial turf will make the field suitable for football because it can take the abuse better than grass, said Peters. And while the initial expense of turf can be costly, all agreed it will pay for itself, given its low maintenance. No lines need to be drawn on the turf, and it requires no grass cutting or watering. While approval for the ordinance looks positive, with 12 of the sports organization’s 16 board members being replaced this year, Councilman Scott Seelagy expressed concern that the incoming board may not be as committed to the current deal as are the existing members. Peters reassured Seelagy and other council members, saying, “We are committed through this year as an organization…. Our organization is ready to move forward with this. It’s not an issue.” If the ordinance is adopted at the August 8 council meeting, work could start almost immediately thereafter. “We could get it done this year,” said Underhill. “The bulk of the work could be completed this fall, then whatever sprucing up is needed could be done in the spring.” Mohr said the person in charge of the Ungerman project is Andy Garger, who was on vacation and unavailable for comment before press time.