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School facilities staff add baseball diamond, pool to duties

Although school maintenance staff normally perform routine maintenance on school athletic facilities including fields and floors, traditionally the baseball team undertakes the upkeep of the ballpark surface. The softball team also cares for its field, and if a school has a swimming pool, the aquatics director is involved in some of the upkeep activities.

The closure of the Fallbrook High School campus due to the coronavirus epidemic has prevented coaches and players from handling the maintenance activities for the athletic facilities, but facilities director Bob Salas and his crew have ensured that the absence of the team assistance hasn't caused dilapidation of the fields, pool or gymnasiums.

“We’d be in big trouble if we didn’t have facilities keeping things up to par,” Patrick Walker, athletic director of Fallbrook High School, who is also the Warriors’ head baseball coach, said.

During the baseball season Walker, the coaches and the players maintain the baseball field. “During the summer, it’s me and the coaches,” he said.

The closure of the campus has eliminated summer maintenance by the baseball team.

“That’s been a challenge,” Walker said.

Salas and his crew have performed the work normally undertaken by the team.

“The baseball field looks great,” Walker said.

Improvements to the baseball field before the season included a laser level for the surface, new dirt and aeration.

“We put a lot of money into it before the season,” Walker said.

The softball field has also been maintained in the absence of the Warriors’ team.

“Facilities did a good job,” Walker said.

Although the Fallbrook High School stadium where the football, varsity soccer and varsity lacrosse teams play and where track and field meets are held now has an all-weather synthetic surface, the lower field used for junior varsity and freshman competition and for practice is still grass.

“It’s in good shape,” Walker said.

Fallbrook has two gymnasiums. The bleachers were refurbished in the old gymnasium and other improvements were made to both gyms.

“It all looks beautiful including the foyer,” Walker said. “They redid the gym floor. We had time to do this with school closed.”

Sean Redmond is Fallbrook High School’s aquatics director, and he is also the head coach for the Warriors’ girls water polo and girls swim teams. Redmond was unable to assist in the pool maintenance this summer.

“We couldn’t be on campus. There’s no way to do it,” Redmond said.

In normal years, Redmond oversees swim lessons at the pool, so maintenance occurs when Redmond notices a need.

Redmond said that he has never been the sole person responsible for pool maintenance. “It’s not just me, but it’s also the guys from facilities maintenance, so I just help out,” he said.

The maintenance staff was able to take care of the pool this year without Redmond’s help.

“They definitely stepped it up and have done a great job,” Redmond said.

The maintenance includes disinfectant treatment.

“We’re still maintaining the chlorine levels. Pumps are on. It’s actually safe to get into if they opened it,” Redmond said.

It would include any coronavirus contamination in the pool itself.

“The chlorine kills the COVID-19 almost immediately,” Redmond said.

Fallbrook High School swimmers and water polo players have access to other pools in the area. The Boys & Girls Club of North County pool is open. The Camp Pendleton pool is open to Marine Corps members and their families. Horse Creek Ridge has a six-lane pool allowing for 25-yard laps which is open to residents of the development. Some Fallbrook High School students are lifeguards at the Welk Resort pool in Escondido.

Joe Naiman can be reached by email at [email protected].

Author Bio

Joe Naiman, Writer

Joe Naiman has been writing for the Village News since 2001

 

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