The new Washington Nationals’ ballpark is officially green — the field, at least.
D.C. and team leaders gathered Tuesday to celebrate the installation of fresh sod, 58 rolls of it, on the stadium field.
The 13-month-old Kentucky Bluegrass was cut from Tuckahoe Turf Farm in New Jersey and delivered to the District Nov. 1. Roughly 100,000 square feet of field is covered in the 5/8-inch grass, which hides 97 sprinklers and takes nearly four hours to mow.
The grass and irrigation system cost a combined $1.5 million.
“We’re here today to announce there will be grass for the baseball players to play on,” Mayor Adrian Fenty said during the news conference, held in the future center field restaurant.
He said later: “It really is civic pride embodied, if you will.”
Construction started on the $611 million, 41,000-seat, publicly funded ballpark a year and a half ago. Today, the stadium’s exterior is all but finished, minus the sliding doors, some glazing and metal panel work.
The massive scoreboard is in place and will be tested in January. The vast majority of seats, other than the most expensive chairs immediately behind home plate, are installed.
“We’re very excited,” said Gregory O’Dell, chief executive officer of the D.C. Sports and Entertainment Commission. “Right on target, right where we need to be.”
Nationals’ President Stan Kasten announced that the stadium’s first game will be a March 29 exhibition against the Baltimore Orioles. The game will be free for season ticket holders. Season ticket seat assignments will be mailed out Friday, Kasten said.
Negotiations on how to solve the parking dilemma at the ballpark, including the possible use of RFK Stadium lots and shuttles, are ongoing but may be completed within weeks, officials said.
