Holy Family University is renovating a field at Torresdale Playground to be the new home of its softball team.
The university said it met with City Councilman Mike Driscoll and the Northeast Community Civic Alliance in the spring to outline plans, but the community didn’t know anything about the project until more recently, when work began.
Holy Family hosted a meeting on Wednesday night to provide details on the work. The university was represented by athletic director Tim Hamill and Ryan Keller, director of grants and government relations. Softball coach Jill Murray and some players were in attendance. Driscoll and legislative candidate Bill Griffin were also on hand.
The field, at 9550 Frankford Ave. (at Aubrey Avenue), will be a lot more convenient for the Tigers, who have been playing softball games at Bensalem High School.
There will be a resurfaced infield and outfield, upgraded fencing, foul poles in right and left field, enclosed and gated dugouts, an equipment shed and trash cans. There will not be any lights, scoreboard or bleachers, and the field is far enough away from houses on Aubrey and Frankford that no home run balls will cause any damage.
“If our girls are hitting your houses, they should probably be playing for the Phillies,” Hamill said.
Practices and games will go from late February to early May, along with September and October, starting generally at 3 p.m. weekdays and noon on weekends. There will be no more than a dozen home games per year.
Work is expected to be completed in the coming weeks, and the university will maintain the field year round through a landscaping company. The field will be locked when not in use.
Sue Buck, a deputy commissioner with the Department of Parks and Recreation, said the department will make the field available for community use through its permitting process.
“It’s not exclusively for Holy Family,” Buck said.
Buck suggested St. Katherine of Siena School, Torresdale Boys Club and other teams could apply for permits. She likened it to St. Jerome School continuing to use Ramp Playground after Father Judge turned a former “dustbowl” into a turf field.
Buck, who lives across from the field, supports the project.
“I think this will be a positive thing for the community, I really do,” she said.
The university looked at other options, but said neighbors rejected a move to Fluehr Park, the School District of Philadelphia declined to make Thomas Holme Elementary School’s field available and NewCourtland was not interested in leasing space at the old Liddonfield Homes project.
Some people complained that Fluehr Park neighbors had the power to stop a project while they were granted a meeting only after an uproar on Facebook.
“We didn’t know anything about this,” one woman said.
“It’s a done deal,” another complained.
Holy Family explained that the Fluehr Park site would have been more complex as a new use, while the Torresdale Playground site is a mere upgrade.
As benefits to the community, the university promised to have the softball team offer free clinics at Torresdale Playground and take part in neighborhood cleanups.
Holy Family also promised to have future meetings if there are any additional renovations. ••
