School board approves softball site plan; city to bid shared amenities

The Worthington School Board approved a site plan for a proposed varsity softball field and related site work, voting to let the City proceed with its portion of the project and to include turf and grass options as alternate bid items.

The decision lets the city bid its elements — designated as concessions, toilets and a storage building with parking off Clary Street and Eleventh Avenue — while the school will build the varsity field, dugouts, batting cage and press box. "We're looking to bid it in probably January," consultant Chris Zimmer said, describing a project schedule that would start borings and survey work in August and begin design in September.

The board voted to approve the site layout after several board members and district staff outlined how the plan fits a broader complex. Joel, a district staff member who reviewed site logistics, said moving the city facility to the center of the street "puts all of the city's physical property on their land property, and it keeps our property on our land property," and adds parking to serve the pickleball courts, hockey rink and other adjacent amenities.

Why it matters: approving the site plan now gives the city confidence to solicit bids on its portion of the work and lets the district prepare bid documents that include alternates for turf and grass. The board asked for alternates so it can compare cost and long-term maintenance information before deciding whether to accept a turf option.

Key details and next steps: Chris Zimmer of ICS Consulting described two conceptual field options — a natural-turf layout and a full artificial-turf layout — and said the design will be the same regardless of surface, with differences limited to subgrade and drainage. "An alternate base bid would be grass, and then the alternate would be whether we have one or two that's fairly easy to do infield, outfield, or both," Zimmer said. He recommended soil borings and a refreshed survey before bidding; those steps were scheduled for August, with bidding anticipated in January because dirt-work contractors typically return best bids after the new year.

Board members also discussed long-term maintenance comparisons. "Turf needs to be replaced — artificial does at some point," Zimmer said, adding that current industry averages show a whole turf field replacement at roughly 12 years but that spot repairs for high-wear areas are common. A board member said the district and staff would research lifecycle costs and possible grant opportunities for newer, soy-based infill materials.

Financial commitments: The city estimated its portion at about $1.5 million, Joel said. The board approved the site layout so the city could move forward with its planning and bidding; the board also voted to include turf as an alternate so the district can make a later selection based on bids and preference.

What the vote did: The board moved, seconded and voted to approve the proposed site plan; the motion passed.

Less-critical details: The board discussed removing baseline bleachers (a suggested $40,000 savings) because bleachers are already planned behind home plate; that was offered as a cost-saving recommendation rather than a condition of approval. The playground currently at the site will be removed to make room for the new layout.

Provenance: The discussion began when the board called Chris Zimmer to present (transcript beginning at the softball item) and concluded with the motion to approve the site plan and the board's vote.