The snow is finally gone and has left behind playing fields soaked with water after a long winter beneath near record levels of snow.
And while soccer and baseball players may be eager to stretch their legs on the newly exposed fields, any use of the playing areas is still premature.
“Fields are closed at this time to allow for spring maintenance, aerating and over seeding,” said Rick Garner, Manager of Parks and Facilities for the Town of Innisfil.
But even with what seemed like an endless sequence of snowstorms in the late winter, Garner doesn’t expect the timeline for opening the fields to be any different than previous years.
“We still expect they will be ready for the Victoria Day long weekend,” he said. “Most of our fields have good drainage and dry up quickly.”
The main users of the fields are Innisfil minor sports leagues, plus a few adult groups. With the growing enrollment in all areas, the town built a field on an interim basis last year on Conc. 6 to relieve pressure.
Of course, the four new soccer pitches and two ball diamonds slated for the Innisfil Recreation Complex will give the town plenty of playing fields when they become available.
The goal was to have the fields ready by Nov.15 but project delays mean the fields won’t be ready for use until the end of summer at the earliest.
“If all goes well,” said Town of Innisfil CAO Larry Allison, “They’ll possibly be ready in the fall. But I don’t want to make any promises.”
For the fields to be ready for use, grass seeds must be allowed to take hold and the grass to root.
“We’ll finish the grading and seeding and sodding as soon as the weather permits,” said Allison, but he expects it to be a few weeks before the fields are dry enough for crews to get busy.
The town also wants to re-configure the fields at Innisfil Beach Park, but any changes will have to wait until the Recreation Centre fields are available, Allison says.
In the meantime, the Conc. 6 field will again be used on an interim basis for the upcoming season.
Some minor adjustments in field fees were made in conjunction with this year’s budget but “nothing substantial,” says Allison.
Fees for minor sport groups are $10 per hour for either the ball diamond or the soccer pitch, adult sport groups pay $15 per hour, and all groups are charged $30 per hour if they use the lights for their games.
Today's Weather 
Clear and 23°C
Clear and 23°C
