The Battery Park City Authority will replace the turf on the ballfields this winter and make other significant upgrades to the playing fields and perimeter, with construction starting in December and hopefully concluded by March 1, in time for the start of the little league season. The fields will be closed for that time period.

The 80,000-square-foot field on Warren/Murray and West is used by 50,000 kids a year, with permits running from early spring until Thanksgiving for the softball, baseball and soccer leagues. The fields are not permitted in December, January and February, so they are trying to hit that window.

There are two parts to the renovation, BPCA rep Nick Sbordone told Community Board 1: First, the padding around the walls has deteriorated and needs to be replaced. That repair will begin in the next few weeks.

Then the turf itself and the padding underneath has to be replaced. It was last replaced after Hurricane Sandy in 2013.

While they are doing the project, they are making some other upgrades to the drain system, the netting around the fields and the backstop and the roof of the bullpen. They are also adding misters for hot days, water fillers instead of water fountains, and little upgrades to the dugouts, like hooks for helmets and bags.

“These are without question the best facilities in the city for what they were designed for bar non,” said CB1 Youth Committee member Andrew Zelter, “Year after year when we host folks from around the city they comment on how spectacular the facility is.”

The authority is also removing five trees along the perimeter of the field for safety reasons and so the playing surface can be expanded.

The vendor should be selected by the end of this month so construction can start in December.