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The second phase of softball field renovations at Feeley Field in Sudbury is targeting construction in the summer of 2026. The so-called “Feeley Phase 2” project has four priorities according to a presentation given to the Park and Recreation Commission by a representative from Gale Associates on January 14.
Those priorities include re-routing the accessible pathway that was originally routed through the dugouts of one of the softball fields during the first phase of the project. The new walkway would go behind the dugouts on the first field nearest to the lower parking lot, then extend to the field farthest from the parking lot and wrap around behind the backstop to a bleacher section. Second, the project would fix the drainage on both fields. Third, they would add dugouts and bleachers on field two, which is farthest from the parking lot. Finally, they would add irrigation via a connection to the Sudbury Water District system.
One of the challenges is that large swaths of both fields are within the wetland buffer zone on the site. The outfields would be reduced in size to allow some of the land to return to its natural state, which was described as a concession in order to get the support of the Conservation Commission. Park and Recreation commissioner Ben Carmel asked about adding outfield fencing to the fields, and the design team agreed to take a look at that idea. When Carmel asked about adding lighting in a hypothetical future project, he was told that it was feasible from a utilities perspective, but difficult to get lighting approved inside a buffer zone.
In order to make that concession regarding the resource area, the right field depth on field 1 would be set at 180 feet, and the left field depth on field 2 would be 200 feet with the proposed changes. The designs presented showed a fence along the wetland boundaries on the south side of the fields. The approved sizes from the High School Federation, according to the designer, are between 185 feet and 235 feet.
A large portion of the fields are inside the 100-foot wetland buffer zone, and a portion of field 2 is currently inside the 200-foot riverfront buffer. This, of course, explains the soggy conditions on the fields, but also creates significant environmental concerns that will need to be vetted by the Conservation Commission. In the image below, the dark dots show the wetland flags, the gray line from the parking lot that terminates through the middle of the infield on field two is the 100 foot buffer, and the gray arcing line in the bottom right is the 200-foot riverfront buffer.
In terms of timing, Assistant Town Manager Victor Garofalo corrected comments that were made in a recent Community Preservation Committee (CPC) meeting. He explained that the goal is to get this project out to bid around March and start construction in the June/July timeframe. That’s significantly faster than was suggested in the CPC meeting. The timing will disrupt the summer softball season, but disruptions to the spring season are expected to be minimal.
The full presentation can be seen at 1:01:00 below.