Monroe County school officials want to put $5 million in upgrades to the Founders Park baseball field with new artificial turf, a multi-use building and new perimeter fencing. But they need the village of Islamorada to sign off on the plan before improvements begin on the field.
On March 4, the school district’s Pat Lefere, director of operations, and Ed Holly, Coral Shores athletic director, met with the community at the Founders Park Community Center to discuss proposed upgrades for the field, which serves as home to the Hurricanes baseball program.
“Our student athletes deserve the best. They come in and work hard. They’re student leaders and they carry that onto the ball field,” Holly said to kick off the meeting. “We have college baseball players in our midst. We need the ballpark to achieve their dreams.”
Located at the front of the park, the field was constructed under a 2001 agreement between the school district and village. Per the pact, the district pays for field improvements, which in the past has included resurfacing projects and new fencing.
Last November, the school board voted 4-1 to award design and construction of ballfield upgrades at the park to Chris-Tel Construction. The approval, however, is contingent on the village council’s approval.
Members of the local baseball community, from current high school players to former coaches, as well as council members and other residents listened to Lefere discuss the school district’s plans. Lefere said the process began in 2021 when the baseball program discussed the need for improvements. Talks ensued between the district, village staff and stakeholders with the baseball program.
A contract hasn’t been finalized yet, as the village must give its approval before moving forward. Lefere said there’s also no formal design of the project despite renditions from contractors seen by some in the public.
“We’re really at square zero on this project. There’s going to be an opportunity for the village council to engage throughout the process,” Lefere said.
Installation of artificial turf to replace natural grass is a larger component of the project proposal. Lefere said turf was installed at two other locations in the school district.
“From an athletics and facilities maintenance standpoint, it’s been highly successful,” Lefere said.
In addition to turf, the project proposes to construct a roughly 2,000-square-foot multi-use building with a concession stand, press box, locker rooms and restrooms. New bleachers and perimeter fencing are also proposed, as well as moving the backstop forward to prevent foul balls from reaching U.S. 1.
Tony Hammon recently took over as the Hurricanes head baseball coach. Once a firm believer in sod, Hammon said artificial turf is the only feasible option for other sports than baseball that will use the field.
Hammon said he went to Key West to coach a junior varsity team on March 2. There, he interviewed coaches and got a firsthand look at the artificial grounds.
“I’m absolutely convinced that it’s the only way to go,” Hammon said in relation to artificial turf. “It’s the safest. I didn’t see a single hop that did anything other than do a pure roll on that field.”
Former Hurricanes baseball coaches Joe Molinaro and Doug Mientkiewicz also stressed the need for improvements to the field. Mientkiewicz, who played in the MLB from 1998 to 2009, said he had the opportunity to play on fields around the world. Mientkiewicz didn’t mince words when it came to the state of the Founders Park ballfield.
“This field is currently the worst I have ever stepped foot on,” he said. “Coaching over the last three years, we could not take ground balls because I was afraid for the kids’ safety.”
Mientkiewicz said the field’s condition led to players’ injuries last year, including his son, Steel, who tore his ACL. Steel is now playing for Key West High School.
“The facility was so bad I was afraid to put my own kid out there with a bad knee,” he said.
Molinaro, a 1991 Coral Shores graduate who played baseball for the school, said a resurfacing of the field at Founders lasted about three months before weeds took over.
“The school tried to help out the situation,” he said. “Grass is not feasible.”
Capt. Ed Davidson, a former school board member, has been critical of the process involving improvements to the baseball field. He also shared issues with artificial turf, which he said are full of PFAS (poly-fluoroalkyl substances).
“Those are not chemicals you should want your kids rolling around on the ground in. There’s serious environmental impacts of artificial turf and they should be dealt with,” Davidson said.
Josh Moreira, Upper Keys Little League president, said the safety and future of kids in baseball depends on a good field. He said he’s had discussions with other Little League districts that want to play tournaments in the Upper Keys. Moreira said a new field would be “amazing for them to play on.”
