Ballfield Maintenance

Outdoor sports are extremely popular in Bowie and the City provides many places where teams can practice and play games. Bowie's ballfields are regularly maintained by the Parks and Grounds Division.

There are 61 multi-sports played on 42 City owned fields. Twenty-one soccer/lacrosse/kickball fields, 17 softball and baseball fields, three football fields, and one football practice field, maintained by the Parks and Grounds Division. The City does not, however, maintain fields owned by the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission or other Board of Education fields.

The fields are in use from March through November. The synthetic turf fields are open year round. The baseball fields are raked and lined three times a week and soccer/ lacrosse fields are prepared two times every two weeks. The Parks and Grounds Division is also responsible for repairing fences, backstops, bases, and goals on City fields. They repair worn turf areas with topsoil, place additional infield mix on baseball/softball fields, and groom and drag the synthetic fields. They perform all turf grass development, over-seeding, sodding, fertilization, and all pesticide applications per State regulations, on all developed turf areas.

The Parks and Grounds Division is also responsible for the erection and maintenance of ballfield structures. These include goals, backstops, dugouts, batting cages, benches, and bleachers.

Ballfield Closures

In order to ensure well maintained ballfields, on occasion it is necessary to close fields for an extended time for maintenance of the fields. In June 2018, Huston field was closed for sprigging of Bermuda grass and reopened in Spring 2019. Each fall, Murtagh II and Huston fields at Allen Pond Park are closed for rye grass overseeding for two weeks. In December 2019, Murtagh I was closed for one month for the renovation of the synthetic turf field.

In order to keep these ballfields safe and in good condition, it is also sometimes necessary to close fields because of wet or muddy conditions. When this happens, information is posted on the Ballfield Status page of this website and the operating status of these ballfields is also recorded on the Ballfield Status telephone line, which is updated daily no later than 4:15 p.m. (Call 301-262-6200 and follow the prompts).

• Field Allocation Process
• Maintenance of Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission Parks