One of Kent’s most heavily used and year-round multi-sports facilities wears a new rug.
The welcome mat was informally put out to the public Friday at the popular Wilson Playfields baseball, softball, soccer and lacrosse complex on Kent’s East Hill.
The city of Kent and its contracted crews recently completed installing $1.7 million worth of new synthetic turf, just in time to welcome the return of soccer and other league play.
All told, 225,000 square feet of Classic HD, the latest slit-film fiber from FieldTurf, was placed throughout the complex, according to Brian Levenhagen, Kent Parks planner and project manager.
The makeover was completed on schedule, city officials said.
“The whole project went fairly smoothly,” Levenhagen said. “It turned out to be a success.
“It’s a really popular park, well used year round, so getting it back up and running is really huge for us,” he said. “That new turf looks great. It will play great. It will be a big improvement. I think these user groups will really like it.”
The City Council in April approved the turf replacement at the complex along 132nd Avenue Southeast.
The council last December approved $500,000 in the 2014 budget to help fund the turf replacement. City officials will use another $800,000 for the field from the real estate excise tax and carryover money from previous years. The rest of the money will come from delaying improvements at other parks.
Kent bought the turf through the King County Directors Association, a purchasing cooperative that the city has been a member of since 1982.
The park had been closed since May 12 in order for crews to install the FieldTurf and make other needed improvements.
In addition, netting that prevents balls from rolling away from the fields of play has been replaced. The track fashions a new rubberized surface.
Levenhagen is hopeful the new rug will last beyond its industry standard of eight years. The previous turf was stretched to 11 years.
Getting the ballfields back in action was important, considering their high demand. Wilson Playfields hosts about 1,600 games in all sports, including track and field, on an average year, according to David Heldt, Kent Parks program coordinator.
When the complex closed for 2 1/2 months for new turf installation, Heldt calculates the park lost 342 games or 30 percent of its normal schedule.
“It’s very vital, very well used,” Heldt said of the complex.
Heldt said the new turf supports lacrosse. Reference points have been provided on the upper field and, for the first time, permanent lines have been drawn on the lower field to accommodate play.
“Lacrosse is growing leaps and bounds,” Heldt said. “It’s like what soccer was probably 15 years ago. They call it the fastest sport on two feet right now.”
Wilson Playfields is home to many organizations and leagues, including the Kent Parks Youth programs that field soccer, baseball, flag football, track and other teams. It also is home to teams from the Kent School District, private schools and the Green River Community College women’s soccer program.
“We’re pretty excited. We really like the field,” said Sydney Martinez, treasurer for the Kent Aztec League, which offers youth, adult and coed play for the Hispanic community. “Soccer in general brings the families together for quality time.”
A formal grand opening for the new-look Wilson Playfields – in conjunction with a city soccer jamboree – is set for 10 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 6.
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