Following discussions at the July 13 board of commissioners meeting, the borough is seeking feedback from the community about the Radnor baseball fields project.
The plan includes adding two new soccer fields, a new baseball field and outfield, a playground and an expanded parking lot with double the amount of parking spaces at 50.
Borough Administrator Sharon McCullough said at the meeting that the changes will help address drainage issues in the area. The field will also be adjusted so that it drains into the outfield and not the street. Surfaces will be paved with all natural grass, not turf, and there will not be any lights added.
The 2026 capital bond ordinance budgeted about $1.3 million for the entire project, part of which will be funded with a grant.
In an email, McCullough said it’s too early for the borough to say how long the project will take. At the commissioners’ meeting, she explained that the new Radnor fields will make up for a lack of sports fields at Crows Woods, which is expected to be shut down in the future to address its environmental issues.
“The key issue is, when we go to put the top back down in Crows Woods, you’re not going to have soccer fields,” McCullough noted. “You’re not going to have softball fields … so this is at least trying to put two fields out there that at least we might be able to use to provide them at least something else they can do.”
A drawing of the proposed changes to Radnor baseball fields, a project the 2026 capital bond ordinance has budgeted at about $1.3 million
Of the proposed playground and its features, she said the borough has yet to finalize details.
Mayor Dave Siedell explained that while no changes are planned at Spicer field or the baseball diamond at the bottom left of Radnor, the improvements will allow field hockey on one of the new soccer fields.
“The nice part (is) being able to move field hockey out of the outfield of Spicer, the one that’s not touched, from a recreational standpoint,” he said. “Fields of that dimension are very high in demand in the fall and we don’t offer that in our roster at all because of field hockey. So we could be renting out those fields to teams in the fall.”
The soccer field at the top left of Radnor is 165-by-300 feet, nearly the same size as an average field hockey play area.
Since the meeting, the borough is seeking community feedback on the field’s proposed changes. The deadline for comments is Monday, Aug. 17. McCullough said in an email that officials are particularly interested in hearing from those who live in the area, and that the changes will address residents’ concerns..
“One is parking; residents have wanted more parking in the complex facilities,” McCullough related. “Another is drainage at the end of Wayne Avenue. Our intention is to assist with those issues. Lastly, the inclusion of the new playground: We have heard from residents that they want more neighborhood playgrounds, and we are trying to expand on that.”
McCullough confirmed that officials want to have the improved Radnor fields open ahead of closing Crows Woods.
“Before we can close Crows Woods to complete the landfill closure,” she pointed out, “we need alternative field locations, and we anticipate the two new grass fields … at Radnor will help.”
The area of Radnor fields where additional parking and a possible playground would be located.
