anchor Description
The Blair High School athletic field renovation project will include two surfaces which can be used for multiple sports for improved Montgomery County Public School (MCPS) athletic competition for practices and games for the largest high school in Maryland, improved safety and playability for the school's physical education program, and expanded community use in an area of high demand with limited land development opportunities. The proposed improvement projects are separated into two phases as the construction is proposed during a small window during MCPS's summer breaks. Both fields are proposed to have investments into soils, grading, drainage, lighting and irrigation to promote improved playability and safety for both the community and Blair High School students. - Phase one of the project will focus on the track field with improvements to include irrigation, drainage, grading, bermudagrass, portable goals and lights. - Phase two of the project will focus on the multi-purpose field directly behind the school with improvements to include irrigation, grading, bermudagrass, softball infield improvements, portable goals and lights.
anchor Justification
Blair High School represents a unique opportunity for community recreation - particularly on the lower eastside of the County where land acquisition and athletic field development is extremely limited. Blair High School is one of the largest schools in Maryland and these upgrades provide improved playing conditions for both physical education and competitive sporting events. Montgomery Parks is actively working to increase field inventory and capacity as this section of the County continues to see growth with limited recreation opportunities for both youth and adults. Other investments in the vicinity include the North Four Corners soccer field and the Pinecrest soccer field which are both smaller fields, typically used for youth sports. This project would represent a combination of lighted fields in the Southeastern most part of the County. Outside of Blair High School, the closest lighted diamond fields are at Wheaton Regional Park, and the closest lighted rectangle field is at Martin Luther King Recreational Park. These locations can have long travel times for our lower county residents due to heavy evening traffic.Blair High School already has lights on the baseball, softball, and stadium field. Full-size rectangle fields are extremely limited along the lower section of Route This project would increase recreational opportunities to vital landlocked areas such as Takoma Park. As the facility already has established parking, this project reduces the need for additional impervious surfaces. Ample parking around the current school on weekends provides the community with safe access to these fields. Public transportation is already available through a number of routes that converge on the Four Corners area connecting recreational opportunities to public transportation. Near the intersection of and this site, with a total of three rectangle fields and current parking infrastructure, could handle tournaments on weekends outside of school use. These tournaments draw participants not only from Montgomery County but also from surrounding counties and states, which could provide needed tourism to promote economic growth. This upgrade also provides an increase in lighted diamond field inventory which has been identified as a major limiting factor for facility use.
anchorDisclosures
A pedestrian impact analysis will be performed during design or is in progress.
anchorCoordination
Ballfield Initiatives Montgomery Public Schools.