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Glenn Galing proposes renovating TG Young baseball fields to fix drainage and attract tournaments
Summary
At the Sept. 2 Recreation & Community Life Committee meeting Glenn Galing proposed replacing infield material and reorienting fields at TG Young to improve drainage and increase tournament use; a vendor quote from Dura Edge was discussed but committee members flagged procurement, cost, parking, fencing and neighborhood impacts.
Glenn Galing, introduced as the meeting’s special speaker, proposed renovating the infields at TG Young to address recurring drainage and soil problems and to make the complex more attractive to tournaments. “The reason I'm here … to present a proposal to the possibility of upgrading the infield,” Galing told the committee.
Galing described two main options: excavate and replace the existing infield material (he said many nearby high‑school and municipal fields use a clay mix) or flip the orientation of field one (and possibly field two) so infields slope away from problem areas and toward the ravine. He said improved grading and reorientation would also allow better access to the concession stand. “If we flip field one … the drainage would be a lot better,” Galing said.
He said he had a quote from a vendor called Dura Edge (based in Pittsburgh) that has performed similar work at Longwood Park, Walsh High School and Victory Park. When asked by a committee member about cost figures, one committee speaker referred to a roughly $125,000 figure and to a separate $25,347 item for field one; the committee noted the village would be required to follow municipal procurement rules and competitively bid any contract. “With these prices, I'm pretty confident we're going to have to … go out” to bid, a committee member said.
Committee members and volunteers raised practical constraints. Speakers recounted past grading and French‑drain work that failed to fully solve standing water on field one, and they emphasized the project’s scope if the park were reoriented: moving the walking path, installing backstops and higher fencing, parking and possible security needs. Rob Kennedy, a volunteer coach who has helped bring teams to the park, told the committee upgrades could increase usage but cautioned that the park is in a residential area and that nightly tournament play could raise concerns about noise, parking and insurance.
No formal action or vote was taken. Committee members repeatedly said the project would require more detailed cost estimates, discussion about procurement and consideration of fencing, path relocation and security costs before any decision. Several members indicated staff should gather more information and possible vendor references before returning to the committee.
What’s next: The committee did not approve a contract or set a budget; staff were asked to collect additional documentation (vendor references, detailed cost breakdowns and procurement guidance) and return with recommendations for next steps.
