A green haven under an open sky
Originally Posted Wednesday, March 24, 2010 by ABC Newspapers |
by Eric Hagen
Staff writer
A Minnesota Twins outfielder sprints, then dives to catch a fly ball.
He slides on the grass carpet more real than the Twins have seen at home for almost 30 years. He triumphantly pushes up and hops to his feet, the ball in hand. The crowd, shading their eyes against the sun, go wild when they see that the home team got the out.
This is one of many images Minnesota Twins fans will see this year when the
club moves to Target Field. A Ham Lake company is playing a major role
in keeping the field a vivid green.
Mickman Brothers was the contractor for Target Field irrigation system,
which ultimately cost about $80,000, according to Jeff Sutter, a
Mickman Brothers employee for over 25 years who supervised the
irrigation project.
In its over 30 years of installing irrigation systems for residential
and commercial properties and athletic fields, Mickman Brothers has
worked on larger projects, but nothing as high profile as Target Field,
Sutter said.
“It’s just been a really proud thing to be a part of that whole stadium,” he said.
The system will do more than provide water for the field. Recycled
water will be used to wash seats in the lower half of the first level
of the stadium.
According to Sutter, a cistern under the field will collect water
drainage after it has been treated by a filtration system. This stored
water can be pumped to the whole perimeter of the field.
From here, Sutter said Target Field maintenance crews could hook up to
the system with hoses and wash the lower-level seats. Other seats would
be washed using water from a different system.
Getting it done
Sutter began working on this project during the spring of 2008 after
Georgia-based Fields, Inc. notified Mickman Brothers that it had won
the bid.
The system was installed over a two-month period from late June to late
August 2009 on top of a couple of inches of sand sub-grade and the
field drainage system, according to Sutter.
Placed above the irrigation system was a four-inch layer of pea gravel.
Above this is heat system tubing that will help the grass roots grow at
an optimal rate. Above the heating system is 10 inches of root zone
material, which Sutter said includes 93 percent sand and 7 percent
peat. The Colorado sod is placed on top.
Three days after the irrigation system was in place and the sod was
installed, Sutter said the field started to be watered. The pipes were
drained Dec. 1, 2009 and the system was winterized.
After remaining dormant during the winter, the tarp was taken off and the irrigation system was turned on by Sutter March 12.
Once the tarp was removed, Sutter slowly turned the control valves in a
Target Field control room to gradually fill the pipes with water. As
the pipes filled up, he turned up the pressure to normal operation.
Although the system is up and running, Sutter will not be a stranger to
Target Field’s groundskeeper. He will stop by when the system needs to
be drained before winter and filled before spring.
The groundskeeper is in charge of ongoing maintenance and turning the sprinklers on and off during the season.
Sutter said if they want any modifications done to the system to make
it easier to operate, Mickman Brothers will make the changes.
Entering Target Field
While Sutter had seen the artist renderings of Target Field, nothing
could compare with seeing the structure in person and he said the
public will be very impressed.
“It’s going to be overwhelming when you set foot in there,” he said.
The first game at Target Field will be played by the University of
Minnesota baseball team against Louisiana Tech tomorrow (Saturday,
March 27) at 1:05 p.m. Tickets can only be purchased at Target Field on
the day of the game.
Sutter plans to attend the first pre-season game the Minnesota Twins
play at Target Field Friday, April 2 against the St. Louis Cardinals.
This game starts at 5:10 p.m. and a Saturday, April 3 exhibition game
against the Cardinals starts at 1:10 p.m.
The regular season home opener against the Boston Red Sox is Monday, April 12 at 3:10 p.m.
Copyright 2010 ABC Newspapers
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