Donati Field

Donati Field is one of the two softball fields of the Peggy Hannon-Rizza Recreation Complex off Campbell Road and Ed Hayes Way, listed by the Recreation Department as "Softball Field 2 (Donati/Adult)" and used for adult as well as youth softball; the other is Shea Field. It lies at the east side of the complex, toward Glad Valley Drive. It is named for Donald R. Donati, chairman of the Recreation Commission, who died on May 11, 1997.

The field is on the old Mitchell Boys' School grounds, the "Shed place" farm that Moses C. Mitchell bought in 1887, which his widow had laid out as the "Mitchell Estates" in 1935. Thomas S. Taylor, Roger H. Hildreth and Austin F. Perry bought five blocks of the plan from Blanche S. Mitchell and John F. Poole in 1948 and deeded them to the town on August 3, 1950, accepted by the town meeting as the Memorial Athletic Field "to be used solely for athletic activities of the Town." The story of the land and of the complex is told under Peggy Hannon-Rizza Recreation Complex.

Softball had been played on the grounds since 1976, on fields that the Park Department cleared from the woods beside the football field, and a second, lighted softball field was in use by 1983. Donald Donati joined the Recreation Commission in 1986, was its vice chairman in 1988 and later its chairman. In its report for 1997 the commission wrote that he "was instrumental in the development of the 'Open Space and Recreation Plan,' the Town's acquisition of the Vietnam Veterans Park and Billerica's Yankee Doodle Homecoming Weekend", which he had co-chaired, and that he "was an active member of the Billerica Girl's Softball Association, serving as a coach and president. In recognition of his dedication to recreation and the youth of Billerica, the Recreation Commission will dedicate this spring a new softball field" at the complex in his name.

New infields were put in "at the Donati, Shea and Men's Softball fields" in 2013. In the rebuilding of the complex, approved by the spring town meeting of 2021 and begun in March 2022, the old diamonds were replaced by "two brand new softball fields" with irrigated natural grass, two turf fields, a concession building and parking, and the Donati name was kept for the second softball field.

Deed References Expand all

Recorded is Book/Page at the Middlesex North Registry of Deeds unless noted.

References

1. Annual Report 1997: Recreation Commission tribute to the late Donald Donati; a new softball field to be dedicated in his name in the spring
2. Annual Report 1995: Ralph Krau and Don Donati, co-chairmen of the Yankee Doodle Homecoming
3. Annual Report FY2021: town meeting supports the redevelopment of the PHR athletic fields, two turf and two softball fields
4. Billerica Recreation: Peggy Hannon-Rizza Rec Complex (PHR), Softball Field 2 (Donati/Adult)
5. mmcite: Peggy Hannon-Rizza Recreation Complex renovation (2022), Warner Larson Landscape Architects; turf and softball fields