Lawton trust authority moves forward with plans to restore sports fields

A city trust authority is moving forward with plans to restore playing fields in Lawton to prime shape.

Members of the Lawton Youth Sports Trust Authority voted earlier this month to launch the process of finding someone to maintain athletic fields in Ahlschlager, McMahon and Eastside parks, work that will complement field rebuilding efforts already under way. Finding someone to maintain the fields is expected to take less than a month, Trust Authority Chairman Brian Henry indicated as authority members voted unanimously to launch the two-week bidding process. The group will accept bids through Friday, then hold a special meeting June 26 to award the contract so the maintenance contract can go into effect July 1, the start of the new fiscal year.

That plan will remove athletic field maintenance duties from the City of Lawton. Parks and Recreation Director Christine James said while city grounds crews will continue to mow and maintain the parks in general, field maintenance will be given to the firm selected by the trust authority.

Matt Elliott, sports manager for Eastern Sports Management, has said the idea is to provide quality playing fields, ones that will draw teams and play from outside Lawton. Local officials hope to continue expanding the number of youths participating in team sports because they have better playing and practice fields.

And it all ties into a plan the trust authority put into place in April when members selected United Turf and Track to handle a $64,767 project to restore nine fields in Ahlschlager, McMahon and Eastside Parks. Henry has said those nine fields are expected to handle the teams that will register to play this year and next year. While the authority plans to restore all playing fields, it will be a phased-in process expanded as funding is available.

Henry isn’t worried about attracting people willing to maintain the fields. He said he’s already been contacted by nine entities interested in the job. He also said the contract is “all or nothing,” meaning the same entity will maintain all nine fields.

The contract specifies mowing from July 1 through Nov. 11 this year, then March 1 through June 30, 2024. James and trust authority members said “spot mowing” contracts may be needed because of Oklahoma’s unpredictable weather. While the contract specifies mowing during the “normal” growing season, sometimes weather prompts grass to grow beyond mid-November or start before March 1, James said.

Another decision made by the trust authority sets new leases with the City of Lawton for use of sports-related facilities at all three parks. The agreement is with the City of Lawton for Eastside and McMahon parks, but is a sub-lease for Ahlschlager Park because the city itself leases that space from Comanche County. The lease agreements also mean entities that operated concession stands at the parks will see those leases end at the end of the fiscal year, as Play Lawton takes them over.

Eastern Sports Management, working under that Play Lawton designation, also will be responsible for things such as handling water at the parks. The City of Lawton provides the water to maintain the parks (meaning, there is no charge), but beginning July 1, its responsibility will end with turning on the water for the season, said James.

Henry said those are the details that are important.

“We want the premiere sports program in Oklahoma and you can’t have that with brown fields,” he said.

United Turf and Track already has begun its work to restore playing fields, starting with fields 4, 5, 6 and 7 in Ahlschlager Park, before moving to fields 1 and 3 in Eastside Park, and fields 3, 4 and 5 in McMahon Park. The dirt has been deposited in Ahslchlager Park; the largest part of that upgrade is applying between 40 and 70 yards of infield mix to restore playing surfaces.