Crews install grass for Saints ballpark

The $63 million St. Paul Saints ballpark project in downtown St. Paul will soon have a playing surface, as crews from Chisago City-based Peterson Co. on Wednesday began installing sod for the field.

The 95,000 square feet of specialized sod has to be put down now to give the grass enough time to take root before the new 7,000-seat ballpark at Fifth and Broadway streets now known as CHS Field opens next spring, according to the city of St. Paul.

Ideally, there will be time to mow the grass at least once before the snow flies, according to Brad Meyer, spokesman for the citys Parks and Recreation department, which is overseeing the project.

Installation will be completed by Friday, Meyer said.

Meyer said the value of the sod contract is about $75,000, including materials and installation.

The sod came from Heath Farms in Coloma, Wisconsin, which provided grass for Miller Park in Milwaukee and other professional and collegiate stadiums, according to its website.

Located about 3 hours from the Twin Cities, Heath Farms was the closest supplier that had the exact growing conditions we were looking for, Meyer said.

The sod is being installed directly on top of a 12-inch foundation that includes a mix of sand (85 percent) and peat (15 percent). A drainage layer is directly underneath the sand-peat mixture.

The field will have a 0.5 percent slope to promote drainage.

Overall, the ballpark project is 60 percent to 65 percent complete and on track for its spring 2015 debut, according to Meyer.

Excerpt from:
Crews install grass for Saints ballpark