Needham baseball and softball leaders press Park and Rec for more field maintenance, funding

Needham Baseball & Softball told the Park and Recreation Commission on April 7 that the group is spending its own money — roughly $50,000 a year, the league’s president said — to maintain town diamonds and asked the commission for help finding town resources and faster contractor access.

The plea came from Dave Vellante, who identified himself as president of Needham Baseball & Softball. He said the volunteer board, parents and registrants are frustrated that some fields are repeatedly unplayable after rain and that the league now budgets and raises fees to pay for weekly contractor touches intended to keep high‑use diamonds playable.

Vellante said the program has budgeted to contract weekly or every‑other‑week maintenance on high‑use fields but that the town’s procurement timeline delayed an approved contractor start until June, after most spring games. “We finally did get approval to do that project, but we got approval a week ago. Now we’re looking into June before we can get a contractor on any of these fields,” he said.

Why it matters

Parents and volunteers said they are paying increased registration fees to cover maintenance and remain concerned about field safety…