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Council and engineers flagged drainage as central issue before major field work
Summary
Council and staff said subsurface drainage and grading must be understood before awarding contracts to turf installers; Wilson recommended engineers produce bid-ready specs so vendors can price appropriately.
Administrator Wilson told the workshop that subsurface uncertainty requires professional design: "that's where the engineers will be able to step in and design plans that would be something people could bid on with confidence." That guidance framed much of the discussion about how to move from informal vendor estimates to a formal procurement.
Multiple speakers described how modern infield products must be graded to drain into grass areas and that contractors often include drainage work as part of turf installations. Participants repeatedly cautioned that past dirt regrades failed because underlying runoff and elevation patterns were not corrected; a public commenter who coached at youth fields urged the borough to correct drainage lines and gutters before pursuing overlay work.
Councilors asked staff to obtain engineered plans and to identify what subsurface testing (borings or soil analysis) will be required before moving to public bidding. The council directed administration to build those engineering steps into the procurement timeline and budget recommendations for the 2027 cycle.
