WOBURN - Parks Superintendent James Delong recently was critical of city officials for assuming control of the baseball and softball diamonds at the new high school, despite the fact that both fields remain in deplorable condition.

During a recent Recreation Commission meeting, Delong vented his frustration with being forced to maintain the softball and baseball fields, which are reportedly covered with weeds and missing key components such as pitching mounds.

The parks superintendent, who claimed he spent six hours mowing and maintaining just one of the two playing areas, further worried that the two diamonds wouldn't be ready for the spring season.

If that was the case, Delong warned, the WMHS softball and baseball squads would need to use Ferullo Field and Library Park for their games this spring, despite assurances from city officials that the high school diamonds would be available for competitions this year.

"If they signed off on it, shame on them," said Delong. "This is the baseball field that you're probably going to use when Leland Park is put out of commission."

"I'd love to pose [this] question to them: Are you people planning on taking care of those two fields down there?" further vented the parks superintendent, who complained that he has not been formally asked to maintain the fields on a long-term basis.

Last September, the School Building Committee refused to formally accept the softball and baseball diamonds and pulled $23,000 worth of payments away from the contractor responsible for building the two fields.

At the time, Tappe Architect Brooke Trivas and WMHS project manager Patrick Saitta also advised the city against conducting any maintenance of the field areas, arguing that the contractor needed to seed and grow the grass to specifications.

"There was a request for the city to take over the mowing, which is inappropriate because the transfer [of ownership to Woburn] takes place when the grass reaches a certain height, thickness, and density," Saitta said last September.

"They were trying to say [the field condition] should be maintenance instead of doing the job," added Trivas, explaining why the $23,000 was withheld. "We're saying you need to get it to a certain point and then maintain it."

Reached yesterday afternoon, Schools Facilities Director David Dunkley confirmed that the city has since assumed control of the fields.

According to Dunkley, the contractor has committed in writing to complete some work on the baseball and softball fields.

The facilities director, who shared Delong's frustration about the condition of the playing areas, believes that the maintenance should be conducted in the spring, as it's too late in the season for any fertilization or seeding to occur.

"We were told [the fields] were accepted by the architect and the engineer. [The contractor] still owes us warranty work to make sure there's grass to play on. The pitcher's mound is also on that list," the facilities director explained.

"I understand his point," said Dunkley of the parks superintendent's complaints. "What's happening is that we're working with the contractor and the subcontractor to close that contract out."

According to Dunkley, school officials do plan to approach the parks department for help in maintaining the fields, as he lacks the equipment and resources for such an undertaking.

Dunkley, Athletic Director Jim Duran, and WMHS Principal Robert Norton will decide this spring whether the playing areas are fit for use this season, although the plan remains to open the fields this year.