Falmouth Youth Baseball Complex Closed Until Further Notice

FALMOUTH, MA — The John L. Neill Youth Baseball Complex's availability for opening day has been called into question.

Falmouth recently announced the fields would be closed "due to the discovery of non-compliant soil and glass."

"The non-compliant fill material, which includes lead, arsenic, zinc and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in excess of allowable state regulatory levels, was discovered during a recent renovation project at the baseball fields," officials said.

Glass was found along and near the surface of walkways leading to and around the fields during the project.

Falmouth is working with the state Department of Environmental Protection to develop "a comprehensive strategy" for the site. A licensed site professional and environmental consulting firm have also been brought in to assist.

Town officials said they — town employees — will remove glass from the walkways.

Historical documents reviewed during the initial phase of the investigation found that the baseball fields and surrounding area were used as a landfill for household waste and municipal waste in the 1940s and 1950s.

“We are temporarily closing the John L. Neill fields out of an abundance of caution for the health and safety of Falmouth residents and visitors,” said Falmouth Town Manager Michael Renshaw.

“We understand this discovery at a recreational facility is of great concern to residents, and the Town of Falmouth is committed to providing frequent updates as information becomes available.”

Falmouth has created a dedicated page on the town website for updates. It can be found here.