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Turf Wars -- Is Going Artificial the Right Move?
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Turf Wars — Is Going Artificial the Right Move?
Community Debates Merits of Plan to Save Water and Extend Season at Soquel Park
By Linda Fridy
Last August, the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors agreed to solicit designs to replace two grass soccer fields at Anna Jean Cummings Park in Soquel with artificial turf. The county's parks department made the request, which would be funded by the Redevelopment Agency, to save water and avoid winter closures of the fields.
Yet when its contractor, Verde Designs, held its first community meeting, some area residents made it clear that they still have questions about whether the change is appropriate.
Another meeting is scheduled for Mar. 2 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Congregational Church in Soquel.
Parks officials are compiling information that addresses questions from the previous meetings.
"This is still the first phase. We're looking to gather information and discuss concerns of this potential project," said park planner Cristina James.
Some of the opposition stems from concerns about artificial turf and whether it is safe for players and the environment. Other area residents don't like the idea of a fenced-off portion of the park.
The biggest question may be whether the county can afford a $2 million playing surface that will eventually have to be replaced – sooner than most might expect.
Plastic Grass Doesn't Last Forever
The initial cost of replacing the grass with artificial turf would come from the county Redevelopment Agency (RDA). Verde lists the cost for installing 151,000 square feet at $2.1 million.
That amount of turf appears to be more than the two fields would require, Soquel resident Katherine Sweet noted. She and others have criticized the figures Verde presented at meetings and on its website. The figures do not include replacement costs and in some cases do not match those specifications provided by County Parks.
The Parks Department reported that artificial turf would save literally millions of gallons of water and the $18,000 it costs annually, plus reduce maintenance requirements. Verde estimates the difference at more than $62,000 a year, although it lists water savings of $25,000, higher than those presented by the Parks Department.
Eventually, the turf will have to be replaced. Today's products have warrantees of eight years.
Replacement costs are not as high as initial installation, but the Parks Department could still have to come up with more than $1 million to resurface the fields, money which would not come from the RDA.
A lower-cost option being used at Depot Park in Santa Cruz is to replace only those areas that wear from the heaviest use, said planner James.
She said discussions with Santa Cruz and Cabrillo College, which also has an artificial turf football field, indicate the fields have a longer life than the warrantee period.
If an alternative to the artificial turf plan were adopted, that improvement could also be funded by the RDA, said First District Supervisor John Leopold, who has been attending the community meetings.
Coming up with a water-conserving solution has benefits beyond cost and reduced use. It would also garner the county water credits it needs for other development projects within the Soquel Creek Water District service area.
These could include upcoming parks at The Farm in Soquel and in Seascape. Both are in the Soquel Creek Water District. The water district requires that any new project's water use be offset by credits from reduced use elsewhere.
Plenty of Demand
The Parks Department gets more requests for field use from league sports and camps than it can accommodate, said Gretchen Iliff, parks maintenance supervisor.
"We turn away four to five different leagues every year because we do not have space," she said. One of the sports often left out is lacrosse, which is growing in popularity.
At Anna Jean Cummings Park, about 10,000 youths participate in sports for the nine months that the fields are open, she said.
When Iliff began looking for space to house the leagues should work be done on the fields, she said she found no other options at parks or schools throughout the county.
The county also has fields at the Aptos Polo Grounds, Highlands Park in Ben Lomond and Pinto Lake in Watsonville.
Leopold said that while Soquel residents may think of Anna Jean Cummings as "their" park, he sees people from all over the county coming there for games, as well as parties on the lower portion of the multiple acreage.
"It's a beloved community resource," he said.
Is It Better for Sports?
Artificial turf continues to evolve and improve, addressing concerns about injuries and chemicals.
When the county proposed the change last summer, local landscape architect Steve Sutherland explained that a rubber cushion made from recycled tires underneath the artificial turf makes it easier on players who fall than natural grass.
Verde also offers online links to studies to allay fears of chemicals leaching into the air or groundwater.
Those assurances matter little to community members who recall rug-burn type injuries and complain of the heat and smell that comes off artificial turf when temperatures rise above the mid-80s.
Fans of natural grass will still have plenty of space at the park, officials say. A large grass field fronts the lower playground and picnic area. Roughly half of the upper fields, the side with the softball fields, are not included in the turf replacement project.
The heavy clay-silt soil under the soccer fields at Anna Jean Cummings has proven tough to maintain. The fields are off limits from the first heavy rains, usually in November through March, and even irrigation tends to create marshy puddles in lower spots adjacent to the fields.
In contrast, artificial turf does not require a recovery period, so fields can be used on any clear day.
That could benefit people who want to be active on a sunny day, said Iliff.
"The artificial turf is not just for things like soccer and lacrosse leagues. If you go to Anna Jean Cummings today, there's no grass for you. You can't throw a Frisbee, fly a kite or kick a soccer ball with your kid. You could do that on the artificial turf," she said.
Another community concern has been plans to fence in the fields, which some worry would mean access only for those paying to rent them.
The height and use of a fence is still undecided, officials say. When the plan was first submitted, Parks Director Joe Schultz said a fence was intended to address neighbor complaints about after-hours use of the playing fields.
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