The Details

The baseball fields are composed of Tifway 419 Bermuda grass, with an original infield cut similar to the Arizona Diamondbacks. They boast crimson stone warning tracks and bullpen areas. They are completely fenced and lit, with six 80-foot concrete poles with a total of 32 Musco SVC-Z, 1500-watt lamps.

There are two sets of aluminum bleachers, with a 180 person seating capacity and protective shade cloth. Score is kept on new remote electronic scoreboards from modern Plexiglas score booths. Each field is equipped with two ground level concrete dugouts, with drinking fountains. The softball fields carry the same level of quality as the baseball fields. These fields have a skinned clay infield and a 300-foot outfield fence with a clay-warning track.

Hurricane Francis brought lots of rainwater and is tough on scoreboards as seen here. The excess water from a storm is typically given 24 hours to percolate into the ground before being pushed off into the drainage system. This is done in order to avoid root rot, which can attract mosquitoes to the effected areas.

Six 80-foot concrete poles illuminate games, each with 40 Musco SVC-Z 1500-watt lamps. Seating capacity is 180 on aluminum bleachers, with protective shade cloth. Each softball field is equipped with the same remote electronic scoreboards as the baseball fields. Central Winds boasts four full-sized 330 foot by 195-foot soccer fields. Each lighted field is equipped with portable goals, portable team and spectator benches and drinking fountains.

The hurricanes of 2004 hit the park hard, Charley for example featured winds of 120 mph, which uprooted the park?EUR??,,????'?????<

Awards and Recognition

For ten months every year, Central Winds Park uses these fields for a variety of baseball, softball and soccer programs ?EUR??,,????'?????<

The commitment to quality at the complex has brought praise from around the country. Twice the park has been the recipient of the ?EUR??,,????'?????<

The hot spots that are visible in this picture are from dips in the re-claimed water pressure. To solve this problem water is pumped out of the neighboring Lake Jesup. A Hoover Pump Station with 2-30 H.P. 3 Phase Centrifugal Pump that has an 8?EUR??,,????'?????<

Michael Hurd of the City of Winter Haven, home of the Cleveland Indians spring training complex, was also extremely impressed. ?EUR??,,????'?????<

Central Winds Park was also selected by the Sports Turf Managers Association as the best parks and recreation sports complex in the nation in 2004 and given a Green Star Award by the Professional Grounds Management Society in 2006.

Chelsea uses a John Deere 3235-B five-gang fairway mower to experiment with striping patterns on the Perennial Rye. Weather permitting, the fields are mowed every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, at a one-inch height of cut. Pattern direction is changed each time to ensure proper growth, eliminate compaction and to guarantee a professional appearance.

Upkeep and Maintenance

However, the praise does not come easily. There is an incredible amount of work that goes into the upkeep and maintenance of the fields and the entire park. Many view Florida as an ideal vacation spot, however residents of the state can easily understand the difficulties of keeping any kind of vegetation thriving in a subtropical climate.

Winter brings sudden freezes and months of very dry weather, which very easily can kill an entire field. Spring and summer are known for their sudden, violent thunderstorms and local flooding. In addition, Florida averages temperatures in the mid to upper 90?EUR??,,????'?????<

On top of all of those variables, Florida is in a prime tropical storm and hurricane zone. Lastly, central Florida is known as ?EUR??,,????'?????<

Alan Greene, parks superintendent and his crew of eight full-time staff members are dedicated to the fields and grounds maintenance schedules of Central Winds Park located in Winter Springs, Fla. Repair and maintenance to the grounds includes money to purchase fertilizers, insect and weed control, annuals, tree work, rye grass seed, etc. that keeps the entire park healthy and looking excellent year round.

This is where parks superintendent Alan Greene and his crew of eight full-time staff members come into play. It would have been very easy for the fields to be destroyed repeatedly by the years of 50-plus inches of rain, severe droughts and even four big hurricanes. However, Central Winds Park has been able to stay as beautiful as even the most expensive professional or college-owned complex thanks to the care and training of its dedicated staff.

Central Winds Park is truly a treasure to the area of Central Florida. It is a place for the community as a whole to come together. As cities are more and more spread out, local sports programs and beautiful multi-purpose parks, become increasingly important for communities to stay together. Thanks to top-notch sports programs and events at Central Winds Park, the city of Winter Springs is able to stay a close-knit community. It is more than just a place to play ?EUR??,,????'?????<