MILFORD — Months of planning, upgrades, volunteer work and daily field maintenance helped transform Fino Field into the home of the Massachusetts American Legion Baseball State Tournament.
Milford Parks and Recreation Administrator Jim Asam said the preparation was a season-long effort involving the Parks Department, Milford Legion volunteers, local businesses and community partners.
“We worked closely with the Legion volunteer groups throughout the season,” Asam said. “It wasn’t like doing it all in one week. We worked throughout the season to get to that point, so that final week we only had touch-ups left.”
Among those involved in the planning were Cindy Stulac, Don McGee and Rich Crivello, who worked with the town to identify upgrades needed before the tournament arrived in Milford.
Several improvements were completed around the historic ballpark. Eversource organized volunteers to paint the buildings at Fino Field, while Peroni Landscape donated work around the bandstand, including new flower beds in front of the stage.
The town also completed paving work, installed new toilets in the bathrooms and replaced roofs on the buildings and dugouts. Volunteers helped clean and improve the press box, while additional work was done to make areas around the park more accessible for wheelchair users.
Once tournament play began, the focus shifted to keeping the field ready for multiple games each day.
Asam credited the Milford Parks crew for putting in the extra time required to prepare the playing surface before and between games.
“I schedule it, but they get it done each day,” he said. “They’re taking the extra time to come in for all these games to make sure the field is getting done for each one.”
Field preparation has included adding material, cutting out the bullpens and applying conditioner to the infield. Asam said the red conditioner does more than improve the field’s appearance.
“That’s not just to make it look good,” he said. “It actually has a job to do. When it rains, it allows the field to dry a lot quicker and become playable.”
Weather remained one of the biggest challenges during the tournament, particularly as rain threatened the championship round. Asam said the recovery time of the field would determine whether games could resume the following day or needed to be pushed back further.
Despite the challenges, he said the upgrades and maintenance reflected the pride Milford took in hosting the state’s top American Legion teams.
“When we heard the state tournament was coming, it was, ‘What do we need to do?’” Asam said. “We got together with the Legion, talked about expectations and worked through the improvements.”
The result was a renovated and carefully maintained Fino Field that served as the centerpiece of the tournament and showcased the work of town employees, volunteers and local organizations throughout the summer.
