San Francisco Giants Baseball Complex at Papago

Phoenix, Arizona – Honor Award, Parks & Recreational Fields

SUBMITTED BY

William Whitmore, Whitmore Consulting & Marvin Mills, Marvin Mills Irrigation Consulting

PROJECT OVERVIEW

• In 2016, Papago Baseball & Sports Complex became the year-round home for San Francisco Giants player development and training.
• Lease agreement with City of Scottsdale and City of Phoenix for 35 years.
• Chosen for proximity to Scottsdale Stadium, where Giants play cactus league games.
• Located in Upper Sonoran Desert near Barns Butte/Papago Buttes.
• Development constraints: two 404 jurisdictional ephemeral washes.
• Possible buried Hohokam historic cultural resources required strict construction limits.
• Continuous monitoring to report any uncovered/disturbed Hohokam historic cultural resources.

ROLE OF THE IRRIGATION CONSULTANT

• Conducted flow capacity and pressure modeling for existing and new irrigation points-of-connection.
• Calculated peak season demand for various landscape types.
• Planned irrigation system layout and equipment selection in consultation with Giants representatives.
• Developed irrigation system routing based on hydraulic modeling.
• Designed irrigation pumping system and integrated it with central control system.
• Designed irrigation systems for sand-based and artificial turf sports fields, ornamental turf, trees, palms, shrubs, and accent urn planting.
• Provided construction observation services for irrigation installation.
• Coordinated with Civil, Mechanical (fire system), and Electrical Engineers during system development and design.
• Collaborated with Site Development Landscape Architect and General Contractor for design coordination.

SPECIAL FACTORS

• Accelerated site and baseball field design schedule to accommodate Giants’ player development programs.
• Preliminary mainline routing plan for east fields, followed by final hydraulic modeling for entire mainline network.
• Immediate revisions to sprinkler head layout during field construction to maintain even coverage.
• Complete irrigation design overhaul for Field 5 after switch to artificial turf, including new cooling rotor system.
• Modification of rotor head layouts and control valves for compatibility with two-wire control system.
• Development of outfield sprinkler zoning and lateral layouts to maximize uniformity and address wear patterns, including coordination with fertilizer application.