SportsTurf provides current, practical and technical content on issues relevant to sports turf managers, including facilities managers. Most readers are athletic field managers from the professional level through parks and recreation, universities.
Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/356087
34 SportsTurf | August 2014 www.sportsturfonline.com Facility & Operations | By Ted Mercer F ormer Mercer Group, Inc., a regional athletic field contractor based in Troy, OH special- izes in athletic field construction, renovation and maintenance of all types of athletic fields. Their clients consist of college, high school and parks and recreation sports fields. Ted Mercer, owner of Mercer Group and a native of Troy, used to frequently drive by a park owned by the City of Troy located close to his office and warehouse. This site was the town dump in the 1950's and 1960's. Mercer couldn't help notice the dilapidated baseball backstop and the dirt field grown over with weeds. One day Mercer knew something had to be done. So Mercer and his son, Troy, and a staff consisting of four went into action. Mercer approached Troy city offi- cials in the fall of 2012 and asked permission to construct a youth baseball field. In return for Mercer Group installing and maintaining the field, the City of Troy would allow the field to be called "Mercer Group Field." The city park board agreed, and thus the construction of the new field. All Mercer asked for was that the field be open to anyone who would want to use it. "We wanted to give back and the city was tremendous in allowing us to do this," Mercer says. Mercer's labor of love certainly didn't come easy. The journey toward a new field began in March 2013 with the leveling of the playing field. Parts of the field had to be raised more than 3 feet to provide a flat playing surface, which meant Mercer Group had to bring in more than 7,000 tons of dirt. One month later the dirt was graded and laser leveled to prepare for the topsoil over-lay. About 880 tons of topsoil was brought in. In late-summer 2012, the outfield was graded and seeded and the foul poles were installed. Over the winter, the outfield fence and backstop were installed. The outfield fence measures a uniform 225 feet from home plate, the exact same dimensions used at the Little League World Series' Lamade Stadium in Williamsport, PA. Ted Mercer, left, and his son, Troy, built and maintain a public ballfield in their hometown of Troy, OH with their own time and money. Field cOnTracTOr "buildS" Their cOmmuniTy Mercer's labor of love certainly didn't come easy. The journey toward a new field began in March 2013 with the leveling of the playing field. Parts of the field had to be raised more than 3 feet to provide a flat playing surface, which meant Mercer Group had to bring in more than 7,000 tons of dirt. One month later the dirt was graded and laser leveled to prepare for the topsoil over-lay. About 880 tons of topsoil was brought in.