Article Text

Meridian High School’s baseball team entered the 2025 season without a home field, forcing players to travel to Tysons for practices and games as construction delays pushed the school’s long-awaited field upgrade beyond the season.

The existing field was left largely unchanged when the school was built in 2021 because of limited funding. Years of wear had left it uneven, with an outfield substantially lower than the infield and standing water collecting in several areas.

In October 2023, the Falls Church City School Board approved $2 million for artificial turf, a replacement backstop and new netting along the third-base line.

After the project received approval at a Capital Improvements Program quarterly meeting on Nov. 12, 2024, city officials reported that it was awaiting permits but remained on track for completion in February 2025.

That timeline began to unravel early in the new year. At a Jan. 14 School Board meeting, Superintendent Dr. Peter Noonan said officials had learned only the previous week that construction might not finish on time. Although an eight-week installation had appeared achievable, he said the schedule was no longer realistic.

The city’s deputy planning director, Gary Fuller, did not approve the site plan until Jan. 30. Full approval from the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality followed on Feb. 21.

Turnover and oversight concerns

Several leadership departures complicated the project. Former Athletic Director Brian Parke left in October, former Facilities Director Brian Fowler departed in December and FCCPS Chief Operating Supervisor Kristen Michael left in February. Fowler’s replacement began work on March 17, leaving relatively few city and school officials overseeing construction during a critical period.

Meridian Principal Peter Laub said one of the project’s central problems was the lack of a project manager.

In January, after Parke and Fowler had left, FCCPS hired private advisory and project-management company Brailsford & Dunlavey LLC to oversee the work. Noonan sent the first of a series of letters to baseball families on Jan. 15.

Baseball parent William Ackerman, who had advocated for the field improvements, said the permitting process appeared to have gone off course, though he did not have firm information about the timeline. He said communication improved after families raised concerns, but updates had been inadequate between January 2024 and January 2025.

Laura Downs, a Falls Church City Council member who served on the School Board during early field discussions, said she did not want to assign blame but understood that both the city government and FCCPS could have responded more quickly at certain points.

Parent and coach Joe Greiner also criticized the lack of accountability and communication. He said the baseball community learned during an unrelated Parks and Recreation meeting that the team would have no home field.

Varsity coach Adam Amerine said he was not told until January that construction was scheduled during the spring season. The team received information secondhand and was not involved in the planning or construction process, he said.

Finding temporary facilities proved less difficult. Meridian’s varsity team secured Georgetown University’s home field near Wegmans in Tysons, which Amerine described as a high-quality alternative.

Highway safety forces another delay

A further obstacle emerged in March. During a School Board work session, Noonan said construction was proceeding on schedule, but officials had discovered that the planned 40-foot safety net was too short for the site.

Although 40 feet is a standard height for baseball-field netting, Meridian’s field sits next to Interstate 66. Officials became concerned that foul balls could clear the barrier and strike vehicles on the highway.

FCCPS partnered with Tanner Consulting Group, a field-design specialist, to conduct a trajectory study and determine how tall the netting must be to keep baseballs from reaching traffic. That analysis had not been performed when the original field was designed.

Noonan said the taller system would increase the project’s cost. Rebuilding the stadium field concession stand could consequently be postponed for six months.

Calling the process deeply disappointing, Noonan said he was nevertheless encouraged that the project now had a path toward completion and that weekly communications had helped keep families informed.

Greiner maintained that the permitting and fencing concerns should have been identified much earlier. He called for weekly public updates from the superintendent until construction is back on track, noting that Meridian’s players now face an entire season on the road.