by Sarah Craighead Dedmon

Soon the weather will be warm enough — and the ground will be dry enough —  to practice softball outside. But for the Machias middle and high school softball teams, the conditions at Southside Feld have never been optimal, no matter the weather.

“That field has some serious issues and we have a vested interest in revitalizing it,” said Machias Memorial High School Principal Nicole Case, who is seeking the community’s help to finish raising $12,000 in order to repair the field’s long-standing drainage issues, and adjust the pitch of the field to stop runoff into the parking lot below.

Every year the school spends $900 and the town spends $900 to put two tons of soil conditioner, Turface, on top of the Southside Field.

“And every year it all washes into the parking lot because the field is pitched the wrong way,” said Case. 

Over the years Southside Field, owned by the town and located on Route 1 near McDonald’s, has been used and improved by various community organizations including the Machias Area Little League and Downeast Youth Soccer Association, and it’s the official softball field for the Machias schools. 

Using their coronavirus funds, the schools were last year able to repair and improve longtime issues on its soccer and baseball field, but because Southside is town property, those monies aren’t available. 

At first, Case despaired of raising the $12,000 necessary to correct the field’s issues.

“Then the parent of a former softball player came in and put $500 on my desk. They said, ‘Use this for anything the softball team needs,’” recalls Case. “So I thought, you know what? We can do this.”

The Machias Area Little League has already committed $1,500 to the project, and Bad Little Brewing Company in Machias is this week hosting a “BLB Benefit Day” on behalf of the school’s art club and the field revitalization project. BLB will donate 10 percent of all food and drink sales between 2 and 9 p.m. Sunday, April 3, toward those school projects. 

The restoration and maintenance of Southside Field is something that has inspired community involvement for years. Patrick Whitney remembers when a group of parents approached the town of Machias more than 10 years ago, seeking to repair the field. The town authorized the work but said it could not contribute funds.

“It was a community project, there were so many parents,” recalls Whitney. “You never know who is going to show up to help, I couldn’t even list them all.”

In all, the 2012 volunteers raised $40,000 to repair the field, making it into the town’s first softball field which, unlike a baseball field, is flat, without a mound. 

“That was all through donations,” said Whitney. “The community was awesome.”

Another community project in 2015 further improved the field through volunteer efforts. It means a lot to the kids, says Whitney, whose daughter Kate once played on and now coaches the MMHS softball team.

“There’s a sense of pride that comes from having a nice field,” he said.

Using tax-acquired property, the town this year plans to create additional parking near the popular field, and town manager Bill Kitchen says he’s pleased with the relationship between the town and its schools.

“It’s a new era of cooperation between the school and the town,” said Kitchen. “We’re working together on many things.”

This week East Machias contractor Jerry Wood is beginning work on the field, creating drainage ditching behind the fence, where a drainage pipe is protruding up through the ground. 

Softball practice has already begun, but for now, the girls are using the high school gymnasium.

“Jerry really moved quickly on this,” said Case. “He knows it has to happen now if we’re going to use the field for this year.”

Anyone wishing to donate to the project should drop off cash or checks made out to Machias Memorial High School at the school office, located at 1 Bulldog Lane, just off of Court Street. Those wishing to mail checks can send them to the school, 1 Bulldog Lane, Machias, ME, 04654.