We are finally nearing completion of Phase 1A.  The majority of the site has been covered with topsoil and hydroseeded.  The temporary baffles in the retentention ponds have all been tweaked to work more specifically with the demands of the site.  The mild rains this summer and in the early fall will help promote continued growth of the indigenous vegetation along the slopes and within the retention pond areas.  At this point, the QVRA Fields and Facilities Sub-Committee feels confident that the site will be ready for the next round of 100 year storms whether they come in the fall or in the spring. 

Work left to do on the site involves some final spreading/seeding of the topsoil in the few areas not yet addressed, the installation of the scoreboard on Esmark Field, installation of power to the site by Duquesne Light, installation of the backstop netting and removal of the temporary backstop, replacement of the black batters eye cover with a green version to match the rest of the fencing on the site and final installation of the internal amenities within the Esmark Dugouts.  Otherwise, all of our attention will be focused on the continued grooming and studying of the site. 

Every site like this has what is in effect its own "personality":  how the site handles the rains, the composition of the soil, what and how the vegetation grows or doesn't grow.  With the site stabilized and the construction for this phase complete, we can now focus on better understanding how best to maintain the site over the next 50 years.  In an effort to gain advice from different consituencies, we have reached out to the Penn State Turf Grass College in State College and we have also started a dialogue with April Claus, the Fern Hollow naturalist.  We will look to the advice of specialists to help guide us in the development of our plan to plant trees across the site and identify the preferred types of vegetation across the slopes.  Future phases for development on the site will occur as we raise additional funds and we feel that we can control the impact of any development across the site itself.  This means future work will be done in smaller less invasive increments.  Previously, we were forced to move as much earth because we had to re-design the entire foundation of the site.

The next phase of work will involve the completion of the inner perimeter road and some remaining infrastructure work.  Given the types of rains we have experienced in the spring over the past two years, we will not begin any future work until after a spring season has passed. We don't yet know when that work might be planned to occur as right now our concern is totally focused on growing the grass, planting trees and further perfecting the look and implementation of nature's own storm water management system.

It is our expectation that during the spring of 2012 we will see families from different QVRA sports playing and enjoying all the site has to offer.  It has been a very long, challenging journey but we are just about home.