Project EverGreen, members of the Sports Field Management Association (STMA), the Chatham County Parks & Recreation Department and local businesses teamed up this past Monday at Mother Mathilda Beasley Park in Savannah, GA to give the park’s baseball field a $50,000 makeover.
The project goal was to give the county a greener, healthy park using the professional skills and knowledge of sports field professionals from across the country. The historic park received the makeover in conjunction with the STMA’s annual conference. Project EverGreen works with under resourced communities to renovate, maintain, and make more accessible healthy playing fields, parks and public green spaces.
The park, managed by Chatham County, is named after Mother Beasley, the first African American nun in the state of Georgia. She was born in New Orleans, LA on November 14, 1832 and founded the St. Francis Home for Colored Orphans which opened in 1887. Beasley educated slaves in her home in Savannah, before the Civil War, which was illegal at that time.
The field’s playing surface receives heavy usage and needed a renovation to guarantee it would remain a safe, sustainable part of the Savannah community. The makeover included:
- Leveling and refurbishing of the existing baseball infield.
- Laying of new sod edges along the infield after removing weeds and excess grass.
- Removing buildup of infield mix from the front of the backstop, player benches, and infield.
- Grading the existing infield.
- Installing 25 tons of new infield mix.
- Top dressing the infield with 40 bags of infield conditioner.
- Layout and rebuilding of the pitcher’s mound and batter’s boxes/catcher’s box and installation of a new home plate and pitching rubber.
- Power washing the aluminum player benches, bleachers. and concrete pad.
- Repairing the fencing surrounding the field and on the backstop.
“We are thrilled to once again be a part of this important project and bring a well-managed and playable ballpark to a deserving community,” said Kim Heck, CAE, CEO of the STMA. “To use our professional expertise and know-how and bring a plan like this to life is a win-win for everyone.”
“Our staff had a wonderful opportunity to work alongside these highly experienced sports turf maintenance professionals, and their sharing of knowledge and tricks of the trade is immeasurable,” said Chatham County Director of Parks and Recreation Steve Proper.
Project donors include: Anuvia Plant Nutrients • Barenbrug USA • Bulk Aggregate Supply • Bulldog Field Equipment • John Deere • Modern Turf • Mountain View Seeds • NDS • Pioneer Athletics • Plant Nutrient Group • St. John’s Turf Care • Sports Field Solutions • SiteOne • Toro • Turface
Since 2008, Project EverGreen has renovated more than 50 community parks and restored 150 million square feet of healthy turf across the country.
