The fields had been set to close during the period when play permits are not issued. An estimated 50,000 kids play on the Battery Park City ball fields over the course of a year. Photo: Carl Glassman/Tribeca Trib
Plans announced in October to resurface the Battery Park City ball fields with new turf during the upcoming winter season have been put on hold, the Battery Park City Authority said on Thursday. The replacement of worn padding beneath the turf will go forward as planned.
“BPCA did not receive any bids that we felt confident would enable us to deliver the project to the standards and on the timeline we require, so we’re going to reissue the solicitation in early 2025 with the goal of starting the work next fall so the leagues aren’t disrupted,” authority spokesman Nicholas Sbordone said in a statement. “This extra time will allow us to complete the necessary pre-construction work earlier, in advance of a 2025-2026 turf replacement effort.”
The authority says the 80,000-square-foot fields have reached the end of their lifespan. They were last replaced in 2013, after flood waters from Hurricane Sandy swept onto the fields from West Street and ruined them.
The authority is calling the work on the fields an upgrade because it also includes added netting protection for the viewing areas and field-level walkway, new batting cages and outfield fencing, weather proofing of the dugout roofs, and backstop repairs. In addition, the “bioswale,” an earthen trench that collects storm runoff along the fence on the West Street side of the fields, plus five trees along that path, will be removed. “Maintenance considerations,” is the reason for taking out the bioswale, and the trees are being removed for the sake of player safety, according to the authority.