Irvington Park Softball Fields Get Synthetic Infields
Essex County completed upgrades to two softball fields at Irvington Park, including synthetic infields, after a six-month construction project.
Updated on Nov. 4, 2026 in Softball
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Essex County has finished upgrading two softball fields at Irvington Park, installing synthetic infields while keeping natural grass outfields. The work added new drainage and irrigation, fencing, dugouts, landscaping, pathway repairs, and sports lighting on the soccer field.
Why it matters
The softball fields were among the last remaining softball and baseball fields in the Essex County parks system with all-dirt infields. The synthetic infield is expected to maximize facility use, reduce maintenance, and get young athletes back on the field sooner after rain.
The project was funded through a New Jersey Green Acres grant, with a $2,221,746 construction contract awarded to Thomas and Sons Builders LLC and a $129,350 design contract awarded to French and Parello. Details on the post-completion maintenance schedule and reopening date were not included in the announcement.
The players
Essex County
Essex County is the New Jersey county that funded and oversaw the park upgrades as part of its parks system modernization.
Thomas and Sons Builders LLC
Thomas and Sons Builders LLC is a Hackensack-based construction firm that was awarded the publicly bid contract to perform the field work.
French and Parello
French and Parello is a Wall, New Jersey firm that was awarded the professional services contract to design the improvements.
The details
A synthetic playing surface was installed on the infields of each softball field, and the outfields remain natural grass. The project also included new drainage and irrigation systems, backstop and sideline fencing, player benches and dugouts, landscaping, pathway repairs, and new trash receptacles and pathway benches.
Timeline
June 2026: Construction work began on the softball field upgrades in Irvington Park.
November 4, 2026: Officials announced the completed modernization project.
Seasonal Patterns
The project is funded by a New Jersey Green Acres grant and sits among six other Essex County parks that recently received similar field upgrades. Its completion extends that county-wide push to replace all-dirt infields with synthetic surfaces across the parks system.
Young softball players and families in Irvington may find the fields playable sooner after rain thanks to the synthetic infields. The upgrades mean fewer dirt-infield closures during wet weather, though the source does not specify a reopening schedule.
The takeaway
Upgraded synthetic infields can keep Irvington's youth softball players on the field more often, since the surface is designed to recover faster after rain. Families planning seasons around the park can expect improved field access as these upgrades settle in.
Further reading
For more on local youth play, browse Softball coverage in Irvington.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Patch.
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