Three years after it was built, the grass field at South Portland Middle School will be healthy enough to support organized sports for the first time by next fall, said Mike Nalli, the director of operations and safety for the South Portland School Department.
Remediation work on the field will begin in the spring and is expected to cost about $10,000.
So far, the field has only been permitted for light use, like gym classes or emergency evacuations. Organized sports weren’t allowed because they would have put too much wear and tear on the fragile field, Nalli said.
The remediation work will start with aeration. Heavy machinery will punch holes in the field to loosen the topsoil, making it easier for grass to catch hold. The field will then be overseeded with a blend of grass species known to thrive in southern Maine. Fertilizer will be applied throughout the growing season, if the city approves the district’s waiver. South Portland’s Landcare Management Ordinance prohibits synthetic fertilizers except for in special circumstances, such as preparation for high-performance play.
The field will be irrigated and mowed over the summer.
When Ben Gleason, a representative for Activitas, Inc., a landscape architecture firm hired to suggest solutions, visited the field in July to survey its condition and take soil samples, he found that the surface was riddled with weeds like dandelions, clovers and crabgrass. The soil was nutrient-poor and compact, with deficiencies in nitrogen and potassium, and the topsoil was limited and inconsistent across the field.
“These conditions are limiting turfgrass vigor, surface playability and long-term field durability,” Gleason wrote in his report.
Nalli said early challenges were to blame for the condition of the field.
“Year one was not a productive growing season,” he said. The district, which had hoped the field would be ready this past fall, did not have a fertilizer waiver from the city yet, and part of the irrigation equipment broke. That led to weeds taking over the field.
Community members say they’re ready for the remediation effort.
“Right now, they’re playing on a dirt field on a mound,” said Kate Porter, a teacher at the middle school. “It’s simply not enough room for the kids.”
Porter, speaking during the public comment period at November’s school board meeting, said it’s important to protect the grass while the remediation process is underway. She said she’s seen people there playing with their dogs. She requested “no trespassing” signs be installed to keep people away. “The kids deserve better,” she said.
Nalli said the city won’t know until spring exactly when the field will be ready to be used as intended.
“Grass just takes a while to grow,” he said.