Kennett’s softball field is nearing completion, will be ready for upcoming season
By P.J. D’Annunzio, Staff Writer, The Times
Construction workers continue with renovation work to the softball field at Kennett High School. The field previously was plagued by drainage problems that often made it unplayable.
KENNETT SQUARE — Work on the Kennett High School softball field is proceeding at home run pace and is said to be two-thirds finished, with the final completion date set for mid to late August — in time for use by the school’s teams and gym classes.
Though a factor, Title IX compliance was not the driving factor in the refurbishing of the softball field, as some residents in the district had previously claimed.
“We self-governed ourselves; there was never a threat from the community about Title IX,” KCSD Board Member Dominic Perigo said. “We have the baseball field which was renovated with the stadium—we had plans all along to renovate the softball field, regardless of Title IX. It needed to be upgraded because there were no team shelters, no scoreboard, no permanent fence, and in general the infield needed a lot of work.”
To that end, Perigo stated that the community was in support of the renovation effort, despite the length of time it has taken to get the project underway — originally the softball field was to be restored along with Kennett’s Stadium.
“The softball parents were very appreciative and very patient,” he said. “We wanted to do it sooner rather than later and we were already pushing seven years, so we made time to do it.”
Despite the district’s dismal financial situation, funding has been allotted for the project’s completion. The total expense of the renovations is estimated at around $420,000. The money for the project was allocated from the district’s capital reserve fund.
“It was budgeted—it’s a bad economic time to do it but at the same time the softball field was in desperate need of repairs,” Perigo said.
Once complete, the field will be surrounded with black wired fencing, enclosed team areas, new turf, a new pitcher’s mound, and a new scoreboard.
