Henderson updating softball diamonds

By Sean Ammerman

Thursday, Sept. 11, 2008 | midnight

The aging softball fields at Green Valley’s Arroyo Grande Sports Complex will get a makeover come November, Park Operations Manager Doug Guild said.

Henderson City Council approved the $67,000 project on Sept. 1 to repair the four fields. The project is funded by the Southern Nevada Public Lands Management Act and will go toward re-turfing the fields with new grass, providing shaded bleachers and new outfield netting to protect spectators.

“We have been trying to renovate these fields for the past two to three years,” Guild said. “The difficulty has been finding the proper finances and the potential setbacks in revenue by closing the fields. But we’re at a point where we’re losing money from not renovating them. Those who would come play here are going elsewhere.”

The fields were known for being some of the best in Southern Nevada when they debuted in 1996, Henderson recreation manager Dion Louthan said. But the 12 years of games have taken their toll.

“The fields weren’t in bad condition, but they needed some maintenance.” Louthan said. “We are very excited about this resurfacing project. It’s a complex that is used 12 months out of the year, so we are very happy to put some money back into it to keep it nice.”

All four fields will be closed from November to March for construction.

The city will lose revenue as there will be no games on the field during those months. However, Guild said the closure was necessary to make sure the fields are repaired properly.

“We want to close it for a few months and then open it up in March and have some impressive fields,” he said. “We don’t want to just have one of the best fields in Southern Nevada. We want to have one of the best in the region. A lot of softball tournaments featuring teams from out of state come here.”

The new fields will switch from Fescue grass to hybrid Bermuda turf, which is more popular for professional fields.

Guild said the new grass will look nicer, provide a better surface for action and last longer.

Perhaps the biggest addition will be the reintroduction of grass infields, a rarity for softball. The fields were originally built with grass infields but were removed about five years ago.

“It was a mistake to take them out because that was what we were known for,” Guild said. “We would have teams come to play and ask what happened to our infields. When we bring them back we will be the only fields in Southern Nevada to have them.”

Tom Pfundstein, Nevada’s United States Specialty Sports Association director, called Arroyo Grande Sports Complex the “Taj Mahal of the West” when it first opened.

Guild said the project was spearheaded by Henderson Parks and Recreation and Public Works, with input from local softball leagues.

Sean Ammerman can be reached at 990-2661 or [email protected].