Sports

Check Out the Burros' New Field

After a dispute with the park district left the Mokena Burros without a field, the group will rent the lot where Meijer was supposed to go. But what will it take to get the field ready for the kids?

Once the grass turns green and the weather turns warm, the field at the south of the Mokena Marketplace strip mall will become the home for Mokena Burros football, flag and cheer.

A dispute with came to a head last week when the district would not sign a rental agreement for the use of football fields unless the 49-year-old program changed its leadership.

On Friday, the Burros announced they would rent an empty, 15-acre lot at Route 30 and Wolf Road for practice and games during the 2012 season.

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But is the empty lot ready for youth football?

Find out what's happening in Mokenawith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Burros PR representative Lisa Gunggoll on Monday called the field "'game ready' with minimal land preparation needed." She said the group has already hired a landscape contractor to turn the empty lot into a child-ready field.

"Right now, (preparation) would consist of only spot top dressing and over seeding where necessary followed by mechanical roller compaction leveling of the turf area," she said.

Right now, the field is just that—a field. An empty lot south of a PetSmart.

Gunggoll said the Burros believe the community will help provide the seating and other improvements that could make the empty lot into a place to watch games.

"Based on the overwhelming support of the local retailers and the pledged donations of supporters, it is believed that these improvements would be done at little to no cost to the organization," she said.

She said the Burros' Planning Committee will discuss any improvements like lights and concessions at the next board meeting in two to three weeks.

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