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Board hears divided committee recommendation on Atamoa Park complex; softball favors grass, baseball narrowly favors turf
Summary
A board committee recommended grass for softball (13–3) and turf for baseball (9–7) after six meetings; trustees pressed staff on lifecycle costs, maintenance needs and potential design changes to reduce turf area. The project remains informational; the board requested further design and cost details before a vote.
A district committee that spent months vetting the Atamoa Park baseball and softball complex told the Ottumwa Comm School District board that members favored different surfaces for the two fields: softball committee members preferred natural grass while the baseball committee narrowly recommended artificial turf.
"The softball vote was pretty commanding — 13 to 3 — and members clearly wanted grass," said Brandon, a member of the project committee, describing the group’s deliberations. "On baseball it was 9 to 7 and there was a lot more discussion."
Superintendent Mike McGroy, who helped convene the committee, said the group consulted outside experts and weighed maintenance, game play and multi‑use possibilities. "We talked to a lot of districts that are doing these projects...there wasn't really any analysis like this in many cases," he said, describing why the district conducted an extensive review.
Committee members and staff told the board the financial difference between options was large on the front end: staff estimated a new turf baseball field at roughly $1.5 million, while rebuilding a baseball field as grass might cost on the order of $400,000; a new grass softball field was estimated at about $400,000–$450,000. Staff emphasized these are estimates and said they will refine numbers during design.
Board members questioned long‑term costs, including turf replacement cycles and annual maintenance, and whether design changes could reduce the amount of turf required. "One of the big discussions...was we could move home plate back and shorten the field — that would significantly reduce the amount of turf we would need," said a board member during discussion.
Committee members said turf’s advantages for baseball include easier pregame preparation, broader multi‑use options (middle‑school football, soccer, band practice) and lower day‑to‑day maintenance demands; grass proponents pointed to game characteristics for softball, safety concerns on turf in softball infields, and the ability to host certain post‑season college games only on natural infields.
The board treated the report as informational and did not take a final vote. Staff said the district has set aside funding for the complex and will return with a recommended phase plan, refined cost estimates and potential design adjustments for board consideration.
Next steps: staff will refine cost estimates and phasing, model maintenance needs and present a formal recommendation with schematic designs before the board considers authorization to proceed to architectural fees or construction.
