Needham Baseball & Softball told the Park and Recreation Commission on April 7 that the group is spending its own money — roughly $50,000 a year, the league’s president said — to maintain town diamonds and asked the commission for help finding town resources and faster contractor access.

The plea came from Dave Vellante, who identified himself as president of Needham Baseball & Softball. He said the volunteer board, parents and registrants are frustrated that some fields are repeatedly unplayable after rain and that the league now budgets and raises fees to pay for weekly contractor touches intended to keep high‑use diamonds playable.

Vellante said the program has budgeted to contract weekly or every‑other‑week maintenance on high‑use fields but that the town’s procurement timeline delayed an approved contractor start until June, after most spring games. “We finally did get approval to do that project, but we got approval a week ago. Now we’re looking into June before we can get a contractor on any of these fields,” he said.

Why it matters

Parents and volunteers said they are paying increased registration fees to cover maintenance and remain concerned about field safety and playability. The league argued that without clearer town support — either budget increases to Park and Forestry or a sustained maintenance plan — the league will keep covering shortfalls while fields degrade.

What commissioners and staff said

Commissioners and staff described three constraints: budget, staffing and available project hours. “It’s the three not‑enoughs — not enough budget, not enough manpower, not enough hours in the day,” a commissioner said, noting Park and Forestry crews also respond to storm damage and other town needs.

Stacy Mulroy, Park and Recreation director, explained how user fees and Ed’s (park and forestry) budget interact: user fees paid by permit holders are voted by the commission and are remitted to the town, and Ed’s crew hires outside contractors when needed. She said user‑fee revenue has helped pay outside contractors (about $140,000 this spring for contracted field work), but procurement lead times and staff bandwidth limit how quickly outside work can be scheduled.

Longer‑term fixes discussed

Vellante asked about accelerating capital work including lights for the small diamond and a more permanent fix — possibly artificial turf — for the high school varsity diamond, which he described as a low point in the field design that traps runoff near shortstop.

Commissioners said the lighting project is on the town’s 10‑year plan but not the five‑year capital plan; staff estimated lights could cost in the low hundreds of thousands of dollars and noted Community Preservation Committee (CPC) or other capital funding could be explored. Mulroy said the town’s capital process also depends on engineering, permitting and project management bandwidth.

The commission also flagged a statewide bill repeatedly introduced in the Massachusetts legislature that would limit or ban artificial turf on public entities; staff said if the bill passes it could affect any turf proposal.

Stormwater and drainage

Commissioners suggested stormwater work could be required to resolve chronic drainage issues; Mulroy identified Gabby Queenan, the town’s sustainability manager, as a contact for stormwater and drainage feasibility. Queenan was named by staff as the appropriate liaison for stormwater renovation questions.

Community role and next steps

Commissioners encouraged Needham Baseball & Softball to continue coordinating with Ed and Park and Forestry, to consider donors that have raised funds for other projects, and to bring specific, prioritized requests to the commission so staff can evaluate capital, maintenance and procurement options. Mulroy committed to connecting Vellante with the sustainability manager and to exploring whether the commission could advance capital requests or support DPW budget requests to the town manager and Finance Committee.

Quotes

“We’re budgeting and planning with our weekly maintenance schedule, spend upwards of $50,000 of even baseball and softball money just on our dimes,” Dave Vellante said, describing volunteer spending on field work.

“It’s the three not‑enoughs — not enough budget, not enough manpower, and not enough hours in the day,” a commissioner said when responding to the league’s request for more maintenance support.

Ending

Commissioners and staff said they will continue talks with the league, explore whether the commission can support an increased maintenance request in the DPW/Park and Forestry budget, and pursue short‑term contractor options while longer capital fixes (lighting, drainage, or turf) are evaluated through the town’s capital and permitting processes.