Drainage work and other improvements are planned for the synthetic turf playing fields at Karst Athletic Complex.
The Monroe County parks department will ask the county council Tuesday to spend $80,000 to install upgraded drainage and a sedimentation basin (a pond which traps runoff) on the west edge of fields 11 and 12.
Related: Renovations continue at Karst Athletic Complex, multiple fields to be ready next year
According to the council’s legislative packet, soil and water runoff is coming from a nearby Monroe County Airport farm field and is encroaching onto the turf fields.
The airport has its own erosion control project, but additional equipment is needed to prevent further runoff. Monroe County Stormwater is assisting.
In an email to WFIU/WTIU News, Kelli Whitmer, parks department director, said improvements to Karst’s fields are scheduled to be completed in October.
Fields 9, 11 and 12 will receive new LED lights and other amenities, according to Whitmer. The fields will be playable this year. Field 8 will also have an LED light system installed and will also be playable this year.
LED lights, drainage and irrigation upgrades are scheduled for fields 6 and 7. Those fields will be ready for play in 2026.