In August 2000, the Parks and Recreation Commission discussed and endorsed a recommendation by the Assistant City Manager/Acting Parks & Recreation Director to fund a study of the City's Athletic Fields by Mark M. Mahady & Associates, Inc. The Commission's recommendation was then forwarded to the City Council which authorized the study in September 2000.

The purpose of the Mahady study was to analyze the level and type of use of the City's athletic fields, review the City's field maintenance practices, study the need to protect the substantial monetary investment the City had made in the fields and offer recommendations. During the study, Mahady met with the Parks & Recreation staff, Commission members, members of the Athletic Sites Advisory Council and interested members of the public.

The end product was a report that looked at practices, games, field renovation and maintenance. The goal of the City was to use this report to develop a program that takes all of these uses and events into account and then develops an optimum program for field use and care. The report also provided detailed agronomic recommendations for the Parks Maintenance staff to improve the condition of the fields.