More Cohen Complex improvements
</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[The first game was played last week on the new girls' softball diamonds at the Chester Cohen Complex. The Chester High School softball team will play the rest of the season on the new softball fields. Practice for Chester Sports softball teams has also started on the new fields and the first games will commence in mid-May. Several additional improvements were recently completed before the first action on the new fields.
Florissant Sod Company was contracted to laser grade the diamonds. This was completed using a laser guided box-blade on the back of a tractor. The three diamonds have unique grading requirements due to the lay of the land and each one was laser graded to each field's specifications. Diamond #3 has a ridge running from home plate to 2nd base through to center field which serves to drain both directions at that point. Diamond #4 drains from 1st base toward 3rd base and left field. Diamond #5 drains from home plate toward the outfield fence. The sod contractor also spread and incorporated Diamond-Pro on the fields adding a ½" layer as a final top dressing. The area in the batter's box and catcher's box is made from a special clay mixture. As the Diamond-Pro settles on the fields, water should drain off and allow for quicker play following wet weather.
City of Chester staff recently installed large green scoreboards on Diamonds #3 and #5. The LED scoreboards are remotely wireless controlled and should prove to be energy efficient.
The fence surrounding the new softball diamonds is topped with a green and gold poly-cap protector. The 4" flexible plastic protects players from getting entangled on the fence. The fence cap is green along the foul territory while the foul poles and the top of the home run fence in fair territory is capped in gold. These distinctive colors help players and umpires determine fair and foul territory during play.
This fine softball facility has been made possible through the cooperation of the City of Chester, Chester School District #139 and the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. The City of Chester is pleased to provide this fine facility and appreciates the planning of the OSLAD committee and the efforts of all city staff to complete the project.