SRJC'S field of dreams still on hold

Bad news popped up recently when Santa Rosa Junior College coaches opened an e-mail with a progress report on converting athletic fields on campus to synthetic turf.

The fields won’t be ready until Nov. 1 — more than seven months late — due to construction delays and work to correct a problem with sagging sections of turf around drainage pipes.

The project has run over budget, jeopardizing plans to construct a building for concessions, ticket booth and bathrooms, as well as storage sheds and landscaping, school officials said.

About the only good news is the current schedule would have the fields ready when the North Coast’s rainy season typically begins. But that isn’t soon enough for the men’s and women’s soccer teams.

Both squads have been forced this fall to play home games away as guests at a variety of fields for a second consecutive season.

“We’re just a nomadic troupe looking for grass, looking for a field. We’re similar to like a stray cat. We just keep coming back until we’ve worn out our welcome,” said Marty Kinahan, men’s soccer coach. “We’re two seasons displaced from our field. It’s just been delay after delay.”

The latest delay has both Kinahan and women’s soccer coach Emiria Salzmann scrambling to secure home field sites for the remainder of the season. The men learned last week that Sonoma State University’s game field, in Rohnert Park, is no longer available. The women’s home schedule was based on the SRJC complex opening this month, as officials expected before the date was pushed back yet again.

“The fallback is whatever field is available. All the other high schools are in season now and that includes football. So it’s tough to find a field that you can use,” Salzmann said.

Several other teams also had to move. The SRJC football squad must work out in its stadium, wearing down the grass field. The baseball and softball teams have opened fall training on fields off campus.

“The thing is it’s going to be really beautiful and the hardest thing is we can’t go in there until they are done,” said women’s softball coach Pat Fitzgerald.

Converting the athletic fields from grass to synthetic turf is the centerpiece of a $6 million project.

Installing the 370,000 square feet of Field Turf on the soccer field, baseball and softball diamonds, and football practice field bogged down this summer when sections of the turf sagged around drainage pipes under the fields.

The problem was a faulty mix of dirt and rock used as fill in the drainage areas, said Jim Forkum, the SRJC athletic director.

The top layer is being removed and replaced with fill that is stronger based on engineering tests. Then sections of Field Turf are rolled out and the playing surface is stitched together.

Crews have been on the job for more than a week, but the work to shore up weak spots and install the turf will take up to a month to complete, school officials said.

“We’re beyond anxious in getting that facility usable,” Forkum said. “As big a pain in the backside as this has been, once it’s done this is going to be tremendous for us. We will have a first-class facility.”

Not all coaches agreed with the school’s decision to convert the fields from grass to turf. But now they are keen that the latest completion date is met.

Practicing off campus adds travel time in student athletes’ already hectic schedules. This season the soccer team practices at Santa Rosa High School, the rugby field For Pete’s Sake, and at Galvin Community Park.

“Guys ride bikes to practice. Some of my guys don’t have a car. Sometimes they’re late for practices because they have to take a bus. We have to request vans for games,” Kinahan said.

But the athletes don’t complain, staying focused on getting better wherever they play.

“It’s brought the team together. The guys are just unbelievable, just very resilient,” Kinahan said.

Playing at borrowed facilities takes away some home-field advantage and hurts attendance.

Last year’s men’s soccer team played home games at Trione Field, a youth soccer complex in north Santa Rosa.

“We didn’t have great results there. It felt like an away game. It was just a grind mentally,” Kinahan said.

Still, the squad won its conference title on the way to another run to the state junior college final four.

Home games this year have been played at SSU. But SRJC is literally wearing out its welcome with the game field’s condition suffering from heavy use.

Kinahan had to move last week’s game with Las Positas to Montgomery High School. He hopes to secure the SSU practice field for future home games.

The women’s soccer team scheduled preseason games at Montgomery and Trione Field, the pitch that became a home-away-from-home last year. But they expected to play league games back on campus.

Now the team hopes for a return to Trione Field, but that depends on scheduling around Santa Rosa United and other youth soccer programs that primarily use the facility.

“We have a good relationship with Santa Rosa United and if they are able to help us they will. Maybe with a few dates it will be a problem,” Salzmann said.

Trione Field is where the team trains, adding a half hour or more in travel time each day for players. No trainers are on site if players suffer serious injuries, Salzmann said.

“Cross our fingers we’ve had nothing where we had to call an ambulance because there was no one there to help us,” she said.

Having trainers nearby was critical during a recent softball practice when one of Fitzgerald’s players broke a finger.

“She was able to go right into the trainer’s room and get help right away,” he said.

Fitzgerald’s squad is going through fall conditioning and working on skills next door to SRJC at Santa Rosa High.

“We’ve been really fortunate,” he said.

Last year’s team played home games at Howarth Park and Cloverdale High School. Playing on the SRJC campus could help the girls win some more home games and boost attendance, Fitzgerald said.

“It affected attendance a whole lot. I would say it at least cut it in half. It was like every game we played was on the road,” he said. “I think we’re going to be able to compete better this year.”

While second-year softball players will finally get to play a true home game, those finishing up soccer careers at SRJC can only hope to get in a game or two on the new field at season’s end.

“They ask, ‘Hey when’s our field going to be ready.’-+ But they don’t complain. We’re not bothered by the situation. It’s a reality,” Salzmann said. “We know at the end of the day we’re going to get a beautiful field.”

You can reach Staff Writer Michael Coit at 521-5470 or mike.coit@pressdemocrat.com.