POULSBO­­—Field D in Snider Park will receive much needed renovations this year after the Snider Park board of directors received a grant on Sept. 28.

Farmers Insurance Group donated $10,000 that will be used to build a fence around the field, which is one of four at the park. It will also pay for an assortment of renovations.

Snider Park, located at the end of Viking Way NW, is used for a variety of games, including women’s fast-pitch and softball. With an additional seven softball teams signed up for this season—making a total of 17 teams in Kitsap Little League—softball coordinator Johnene Loverich is glad to see the field get some attention, she said.

“Giving the teams who play on this park better fields gives them a sense of pride,” said Loverich, who wrote the grant proposal. “Not to mention allows them to play to their potential.”

The grant money will be used to fix problems that have plagued the field, such as uneven playing surfaces.

As small mounds of dirt spread throughout the outfield and the grass surrounding the baseline creates an uneven surface, field use becomes difficult and potentially dangerous, said Mike Driscoll, president of the North Kitsap Little Leagues. While no serious injuries have been reported, Driscoll has listened to complaints from coaches about baseballs being thrown off course, he said.

“You hit a grounder and suddenly, hop, the ball is going somewhere else,” Driscoll said.

The field was built in 1986. The majority of the work on it has been done by volunteers, Loverich said.

Volunteers, like Matt Murphy, worked on the field for years, but because volunteer work is done on one’s own time, it is difficult to keep up with demand.

Because of the issues with field D, there has always been a struggle over what teams have to play on D field, Loverich said.

“I once heard a kid ask where to stand in the outfield and the coach said, ‘Go stand out in right field, it’s the spot with the huge crater in the ground,’” Loverich said.

The donation won’t cover all the field’s needs, Driscoll said. More money is needed for parking lot and road construction, and additional field touch-ups.

The fencing will be put in at the end of October and Driscoll hopes to have the rest of the renovations done by the beginning of next year. Water irrigation will also be installed, he said.

Money for park renovations is difficult to come by. After the baseball and softball seasons end, people tend to immediately forget about the fields, Driscoll said.

“We just kind of stumbled upon this,” Dricoll said. “But when we got the opportunity to apply for the grant we were like ‘hey, it cant hurt.’”

In addition to the Farmers Insurance grant, Dansons Landscaping provided the grass seeds.

“Usually at least one (contribution) falls through,” Driscoll said.” But we’re just tickled to death that both of these worked out. It’s a big stepping stone.”