Baseball diamonds at Heritage Park receive facelift

Mark Verbanendse, owner of Earthworks Northwest, looks on as his crew unloads fresh dirt for the baseball diamonds at Heritage Park. PHOTO BY ADAM STEWART | STANWOOD/CAMANO NEWS The words “play ball” may come a bit sooner than expected at Heritage Park.

Crews from Earthworks Northwest of Stanwood trucked in 200 yards of fresh dirt on Thursday in preparation for the Stanwood-Camano Little League season.

Plagued with drainage problems, the baseball diamonds are usually under water at this point, said Trevor Harrison, the city’s parks department lead.

“We’re trying to get the diamonds back to their original shape,” said Harrison. “A lip has formed on the edge of the infields that could pose safety risks.”

By raising each infield approximately three inches, transitions from the infields to outfields will be smooth, and water will drain properly away from the dirt.

Recent dry spells and unusually warm weather throughout winter have allowed public works employees to get a head start on maintaining the fields.

“This year we started mowing the outfields in January,” Harrison said. “Normally, the grass is too wet to mow until March.”

Little League board member Vince Thomas said the city of Stanwood has been cooperative.

The effort comes at a good time. Enrollment is up 200 kids from last season with 530 players ready to run the bases.

Practices begin this week.

“The project is a result of strong community involvement,” said Thomas. “The business community has stepped up with 35 team sponsorships.”

Earthworks Northwest owner Mark Verbanendse donated transportation of the dirt purchased by the league.

“This is really a coordinated effort,” said Verbanendse. “There are many people behind the scenes donating their time.”

Chad Davis of Seaside Landscaping in Stanwood will finalize the resurfacing.

“Our goal is to provide players an opportunity to improve their skills,” said Thomas. “Having quality fields to play on this year is a great start.”