Grandview Park diamonds become temporary storm ponds

The two baseball diamonds in Grandview Park will remain and serve the secondary purpose of becoming detention ponds for storm water that sewers cannot handle during heavy rains.

The Parks, Recreation and Forestry Board Monday night approved letting the city’s Department of Public Works  use a practice field in the southwest corner of the park  as a detention pond that could temporarily hold up to eight-feet deep water about three to five times a year.

Public Works Director Fred Abadi told the park board that the collected storm water would quickly drain into city storm sewers, probably within a six-to-24 hour period.

Bill Oliver, a park neighbor, opposed the city’s original plan to relocate the two ball diamonds to another park on another side of town.

Oliver echoed a city-wide concern about the lack of baseball diamonds, especially for youth leagues.

Oliver called the new plan to keep the diamonds at Grandview and use the ball fields as a temporary detention pond a “compromise” that he could accept. The city also agreed to install an improved parking area.

“This will achieve what’s best for the kids and what’s best for the city,” Oliver said.

Ald. Carrol Waldenberger said he was concerned about the runoff remaining too long on the diamonds and that the soil would remain damp even after the water funneled into the storm sewer.

Abadi assured Waldenberger that the situation would be watched closely so storm water collection does not prevent the use of the diamonds. Select baseball teams use the diamond in the northeast section of the park. The southwest diamond, where most of the water will be collected, is basically for practice and pickup games.

The northeast diamond will remain level.  A 2% decline to the southwest diamond will allow it to collect mostly on the southern diamond.

The placement of safety fencing being placed around the temporary pond was mentioned but details were not discussed.

Commission Chairwoman Rebecca Roeker indicated she does not want to see parkland used to correct the problems of other city departments,  but the flooding issue needed to be resolved and the park will be improved with better parking.

The board’s approval does not have to be reviewed by Common Council, officials said.