The City College softball field in Pershing Park underwent a facelift last fall thanks to Measure V.

Improvements include new fencing around the field’s perimeter, a new grading of the playing field, improved backstops and dugouts more in line with baseball fields, new batting cages, and upgrades to seating and lights.

“I’m really excited to play on the new field and I’m really excited for other teams to see it,” said sophomore pitcher/outfielder Nicole Adair. “I think everybody is going to be excited about it.”

Project manager Steve Massetti said it took around $500,000 out of a $77.2 million budget to refurbish the field.

“The new field is gorgeous,” said sophomore pitcher Kailey Snyder. “We love it.”

Measure V is the name of the bond measure passed by local voters in June of 2008. The ballot measure approved funds to pay for sorely needed construction and improvements all over campus.

Dollarwise, repairs to Pershing Park were on the lower end of a campus wide fix-it list.

Massetti also said the final cost of the project is not yet finalized due to “extra work needed at the end of the project that we haven’t received final numbers for.”

“I love the new field, except for the sun,” said sophomore outfielder Joan Cannon. “It’s really bad for center field, but I’ll get used to it.”

Some weather-based delays did take place, but will not prevent the softball team from using the new field at the start of the season.

Athletic director Ellen O’Connor said that the Advanced Softball Class met at Pershing

Park on a softball field that was not being worked on while the other was under construction.

“We haven’t been on it long enough to learn how the dirt plays and how the outfield is coming along,” said head coach Paula Congleton. “In that respect, it’s not really an advantage, it’s just 100 percent improvement.”

The job took approximately four months and was finished in January 2011.

“We haven’t got a chance to play on the new fields. We’ve been able to practice on the new fields,” said Congleton. “We’re on the road for the first two weeks and our first home game is on Thursday the 17th.”