To accommodate crews working on the Senior Center, from Thurs., Aug 1 through Sat., Aug 3 the Recreation Center elevator will be out of service. On Thurs., Aug 1, from 8am to noon, the Recreation Center locker rooms will be closed and the entrance to the Center will be limited to the southeast side, next to the lobby and the emergency exit.  Also, on Thurs., Aug 1, from noon to 5pm, the Recreation Center’s pool and locker rooms will be closed and the hot water will be shut off. We appreciate your patience during this time.

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Can’t kids get hurt playing on an artificial field?

The overall safety of the synthetic turf is the predictability and consistency of play.  There are no bad hops or dips or holes that can cause injuries. 

Unlike black crumb rubber fill that absorbs the heat, the green color of the EPDM (ethylene propylene, diene monomer) infill will help reduce the heat.

Lighting will not be added at this time. The existing field lighting will remain.

No trees will be removed as part of this project.

The goal is to complete construction by the end of June 2024. Depending on the growing season needed to repair the grass once the turf is replaced, the field may or may not be used for part of the 2024 baseball season.

Synthetic turf has a lifespan of about 10 years.

The synthetic turf field will drain to a naturalized area just beyond the right-field foul line. The design may also include expanding the existing naturalized area and enhancing the plantings to better manage any additional stormwater.  To impact the existing field as little as possible we have not added additional drainage improvements.

Unfortunately, our fields are situated on floodplains and as they are currently designed are frequently unusable due to constant flooding.  This results in frequent game cancellations for teams who are sometimes unable to finish the season. It’s disappointing to the ballplayers, their families, the coaches, and fans.

Synthetic turf will solve that problem, adding more than three times the number of playing hours yearly and reducing the field’s maintenance costs by 50%. The average lifespan of the new turf will provide these benefits for ten years or more.

The new turf infield will significantly improve playability & recovery time after storms and add flexibility to serve multiple age groups. The new field will make Highland Park competitive with our North Shore neighbors. 

The Larry Fink Park baseball field renovation is planned to have approximately ½ of an acre of synthetic in-field turf. Comparatively, Lake Forest has about 10 acres.