Softball season may not be for another couple of months, but that doesn’t mean it’s not on the mind of Dickson County.
In fact, the main thing that’s been on the mind of Dickson County is the drainage problem the softball field has been facing for the past couple of years. A new drainage system, however, is in the works and will be installed by the time the 2017 season rolls around.
“It’s always been there, and we’ve always dealt with it,” said Dickson County athletic director Jay Powlas.
The field, which rests on the side of a hill, has seen it’s fair share of water run down to the field whenever it rains. It’s been a concern for the coaches now.
“Coach (Shane Buchanan) and I have talked about it for a couple of years,” said Powlas.
“We thought we had done a good job when we built the building, as far as the drainage. There’s just so much water that comes off that hill, that it was not sufficient. In the springtime, it stays wet and the building itself is getting wet inside. You can always have mold and mildew.”
The right situation has come across now where the issue can be addressed. JD Blackwell, one of the teachers at Dickson Middle, has a connection with civil engineer Jared Gray. Gray has worked on a plethora of projects similar to this one, including the Thronton Center and the drainage system at Vanderbilt.
“We met with him, it seemed like a good plan that doesn’t cost us anything. It’ll only cost us some time and labor. We figured we could go ahead with it,” said Powlas.
The good news is that the project will not cost the school any money. According to a copy of the email obtained by the Herald, The piping and drains are being donated by vendors and clients of Gray’s company, Civil Design Consultants, and the labor is being donated by various parents of the Middle and High School who have worked in areas of construction.
“Now that we have some people in place that can do it, want to do it, and it not cost the school any money, I think we’re taking advantage of the opportunity. He knows what he’s doing, so that’s the reason we went ahead and moved forward. We asked for the board’s approval and went from there,” said Powlas.
Powlas stated that he would like to begin working on the drainage now that the Lady Cougars girls soccer team has concluded its season. He’s hoping the project will be done by the time the season starts.
Reach Andy Simmons on Twitter @AndyDHTN
Dickson County’s softball field will have a new drainage system put in place during the offseason.