After 12 seasons, the Dragons figure they are overdue for a new playing surface.
“When you look at pro sports fields, the general realm is they have an 8-to-10-year life span at most,” Dragons General Manager Gary Mayse said. “I think this was a project we knew would be in our future.”
This “major undertaking,” as Mayse called it, is expected to take about six weeks, with sod installation beginning in early November. The work is being done by Nolan Thomas & Company of Stovall, N.C.
“The playing conditions will improve, and the field will also have improved drainage capacity,” Mayse said. “We’re basically gutting the field to its sub base.”
Fifth Third Field head groundskeeper Dan Jennings blamed this season’s lighter patches on creeping poa annua, which he described as “a type of annual bluegrass with shallow roots that grows very vigorously.”
Said Mayse, “We had signs of it growing for the last several years,” adding that the field’s sand base also has eroded, leading to a decline in drainage capacity.
As a result of construction delays, the original field wasn’t rolled out until March 2000 and not finished until early April, just before the team’s home debut. The Dragons have time on their side this time.
“In the spring, you’re putting yourself up against the wall,” Mayse said. “We need to get the job done now.”
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