Facelift for Kellams Field moves forward

Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2009

"We got drainage — touchdown," Mayor Bruce Wahl said after the town council approved the contract for the first phase of the upgrades to Kellams Field.

Ray Sears & Son in Gambrills, the low bidder, was awarded the $83,518 contract for drainage improvements with some coaxing from representatives from the Beach Buccaneers, a youth sports club.

Prior to the council's discussion of the contract, Wahl asked Beach Buccaneers representatives present at the meeting if they would like to address the council.

Jeff Hagen, vice president of the Beach Buccaneers, said water lying on the field and areas around the field becomes a safety issue. "[Players] run, hit mud and they go flying," he said.

Football commissioner for Beach Buccaneers Greg Disney said the whole field has drainage problems. The weekend may be an example of the problem, he said of the four-day forecast of rain last week.

"We get rain like this —we're done for a week," he said.

Saturday games were canceled around the county due to the rain and usually after a rain like this past weekend's, there's always water on the field, said Jimmy Niland, president of the Beach Buccaneers, during an interview Monday, although he said he had not seen the field.

At the meeting, Niland said, "Every time it rains around the snack bar area it's underwater." He then thanked the town council saying, "When we brought some things to you guys, you took care of it."

When the town council approved the upgrades to Kellams Field it budgeted $70,000 for the first phase, but the first phase did not include replacing the underground drainage pipes on the south side of the field, said town engineer Paul Woodburn.

If the drainage on the south side of the field is not fixed now, Woodburn said, "It'll end up costing us more."

After some discussion on the additional work and cost, the council approved the contract.

Council member Stewart Cumbo, who said he was all for improving the field, asked for a timeline and goals for the project.

"I would like to get a presentation," Cumbo said.

Woodburn did not have a presentation. Instead, he explained that all the drainage would be taken care of in phase one and phase two would consist of realigning the football field and raising it up about 6 inches with top soil and installing new goal posts and a score board.

The initial work at the field began in the spring with a new top coat mix spread on the infield of the baseball diamond. Until this past season, Calvert's Babe Ruth baseball league had been playing home games in St. Mary's County because of Kellams Field's poor condition.

With the completion of the facelift of the football field, standing water from rain will not hamper football games at the field next season. This football season ends Nov. 21, Niland said.

charvat@somdnews.com