Parks Maintenance Spring Update

According to the calendar, spring is here and your Parks Maintenance staff is on the job, regardless of the weather, getting our outdoor amenities ready for you to use this spring and summer seasons. There is much to do, and honestly, not a lot of time to do it. But we’ll get there! We always do.

Winter cleanup

As it is every season, our first task is to clean up after winter. Outdoor rink boards, gates and safety nettings have been removed and safety precautions such as bales are being removed from our sledding hills. We are seeing more leaves as the snow came early last November before they could be cleaned up.

Ball fields

Our partners in Recreation Culture and Facility Services and some of our baseball user groups are telling us registration is higher this year thanks to the Toronto Blue Jays playoff success last year. An early season Jays slump won’t change that and we’re busy getting our ball parks ready for all these prospective big leaguers of all ages!

In the next weeks, our staff will be busy with inspections, fencing repairs and the reinstallation of any bleachers that were removed for the winter. We are also turning our irrigation systems back on and checking for leaks.

We’ve been greeted with unseasonally cool temperatures and the fields are wetter than last year. The long-range forecast does show sunshine and some precipitation so that gives us hope that we’ll be able to get on all the fields soon. The infields that are dry enough are being groomed and staff are also doing turf repairs and lip maintenance and hand raking where staffing is available. Grass cutting is also underway and we will provide progress reports in future email updates.

Sports fields 

We’re also turning our attention to sports fields, with mowing, inspections, litter removal and waste receptacle installations all underway. We are cleaning paths that lead to sports fields and any parking lots attached to them. Overseeding, aeration and fertilization continues.

Tennis and pickleball courts

If nets for our tennis and pickleball courts are installed too early with wet/soft ground conditions, tightening the nets will cause the posts to lean, requiring a costly re-instatement/replacement, delaying the season further.

That being said, now is the time and you may have seen some nets go up this week! Our staff will also sweep all the courts and do repairs discovered during inspections.

How residents can help

I know it has been a long, hard winter and a lot of people are just itching to get out on our ball diamonds and sports fields, but please don’t! Not yet, anyway.

We ask everyone to stay off closed sports fields for two good reasons.

One is your safety; all fields are inspected for divots or trip hazards before they are opened, and closed fields have not been inspected! Second, playing on these fields in wet conditions can compact the soil, hinder water absorption, create aeration problems and force grass roots to work harder to break through the soil. The chance of root disease increases and the quality of the turf decreases. Using the fields before they are ready can lead to increased wear and tear in the goal creases making it more difficult for our crews to maintain.

Notice anything that needs our attention? Please submit an online service request , or email or call 3-1-1. Our Parks Maintenance webpage will make sure this is triaged to the right personnel and is the fastest way to help us get the job done.

Parks Maintenance & Forestry Services