Newtown's Babe Ruth League 5-7 year olds will play on a newly rebuilt and re-sodded field next year, complete with the same sod used by the New York Yankees.
Over the course of three months, suppliers and contractors committed more than $150,000 turning the site "from a dirt base to a functional regulation ball field," as a Shemin spokesperson puts it.
"One of the priorities for us as a group was to try to bring this field back and give these kids an opportunity to play here again," said Newtown Babe Ruth Program president Adam Taylor. "We knew what we wanted to do but we had no idea how to do it."
"Watertown Field 1," at 21 Old Farm Road, received a variety of services, including drainage, irrigation, grading and topsoil and sod placement by DeLea Sod Farms, who provide sod for the New York Yankees.
"We wanted to make sure that these kids would get the thrill of playing on the very same sod we use at Yankee Stadium," said DeLea owner Rick DeLea.
Shemin Nurseries, Inc., whose CEO Steffan Burns is a Sandy Hook parent, oversaw the project, according to a release from the company.
The field was dedicated Sept. 28 at a ceremony featuring First Selectman Pat Llodra.
"Newtown has been the recipient of tremendous generosity and kindness from so many people, it’s overwhelming," Llodra said. "I get teary a little bit when I talk about it—we’ve had a rough nine months."
Other companies who participated in the rebuild included Pennella Site Development, Greenacres Company, G.T. Oliveira, Hancor, Hunter Industries, Lebanon Turf, Lehtonen Construction, NDS, Paige Electric, Pennturf Landscaping, Solu-Cal USA, Stone Depot, Superior Rental, Valencia Work Group and Shemin Landscape Supply.
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