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01-04-2000 - Concurrence for Repairs to Cortez Field.'.. City of West Covina Memorandum - AGENDA TO:. City Manager and City Council ITEM NUMBER 6-8f DATE: January 4, 2000 FROM: Tom -Hatch,,, • •_. PRINTED ON. RECYCLED PAPER - Community Services -Director SUBJECT: CONCURRENCE FOR REPAIRS TO CORTEZ FIELD SUMMARY:. A request has been made by West Covina American Little League for field repairs to, the joint football and baseball field at Cortez Park.,.This report seeks concurrence for the continuation of -the seeding program at the f eld with the -plan to install sod:in some areas if necessary to prepare for the upcoming baseball season. Finally, this report, recommends that the City Council direct staff and the Community Services Commission to review the issue of field use and field maintenance and recommend ,to the City Council a long-term solution for .the appropriate use and .annual maintenance of the'fields.' ,BACKGROUND: In late November; the West Covina Youth Football season ended and staff immediately begana program to renovate the joint football/baseball field at Cortez Park. The field was in a very poor condition after the heavy. use over the past -four months of the football season. The Public Services Department recognizing the need for field repairs, started to make improvements including: .the addition of a .:significant amount of new soil 'to improve field drainage, minor grading, field preparation and the application of new seed. The' direct cost of these improvements,to date is approximately $8;000 not including staff time. - The result of these efforts is beginning to develop and the unusually warm weather is helping the new grass grow ,very quickly: While the seeding method is working well, there is a need to have the field in a good condition by late February or early March. To ensure that the field is ready for opening day, the, installation of sod in •some areas may be necessary. The situation at Cortez Park is similar to the challenges that exist at all of the active field areas on both school district and City property. The recent installation of lights at several fields has accommodated a growth in participation leading to even heavier use of the fields. In addition; the reduction in the maintenance standards as a result of the defeat of Measure C has. limited the ability of staff to continue to spend sufficient money to maintain fields at the level desired. .Finally, the limited field space in the City of West Covina, requires that multiple youth .sport organizations use the same fields at different times of the year., This. dual use does not allow time for the fields to rejuvenate naturally because the "down" times are normally not the best time of the, year for turf growth. DISCUSSION: After walking Cortez Park and reviewing options, staff feels that the seeding program is working. The field will be monitored and some sod may be used if the seeding program produces .some areas of the grass that are too thin. Sod is an expensive alternative that does make an immediate impact and brings the field to an acceptable standard, but sod also. has some other. drawbacks: An analysis of the advantages and disadvantages of sod is provided in the attached memo. This problem is not unusual for this site or most of the. other fields in the City of West Covina but the extent of the problem is getting worst.. Sod is one alternative but it is -expensive. Other options for a comprehensive long-term solution should be reviewed. Issues that need to be further, reviewed include: the costs for field maintenance and who is responsible for the costs, the joint use of all .fields, the appropriate level of participation TO: Torn Hatch City of West Covina Community Services Director Memorandum FROM: Jeffrey W. Collier Public Services. Director December 29, 1999 . SUBJECT: STATUS OF CORTEZ PARK FIELD RENOVATION As you are aware, the Cortez Park football field was again in very poor condition at the completion of this year's youth football season. Upon'assessing the condition of the field in November, Public Services Department staff determined that a more extensive field renovation would be needed than had occurred'in recent years. The following is a .listing of the Public Service Department's renovation .efforts during the past month: 1. In early December, staff placed approximately 200 cubic yards of new topsoil on the field to. reestablish the crown in the center of the field to provide proper drainage and to fill low, areas. The field was also aerated many times, with an open core aerator, to open up the surface to improve soil drainage. 2.1 On December 9, Public Services staff seeded the entire field and permanent. Little League field (easterly field) with 850 lbs. of Ballfield Mix 1A, Ballfield Mix 3A and Eden Grass Seed Mixture. The area was seeded with our slit -seeder that places these seeds down into the ground making good contact with the soil to enhance the turfgrass "plant growth. Seed germination is as high as 75 to 80 percent with, this mechanical seeding method versus 30 to 40 percent germination with the standard, overhead broadcast seeding method The three different seed mixes contain 15 different seed types of both cool season and warm season. grasses. At this time of year, only the cool season seed will germinate, of which there are 11 different types in the mix, including Perennial Ryegrass, Kentucky bluegrass and Tall Fescue. As it is a bit cool this time of year at -night, this seed takes about 10 to 18 days for germination. There are four. different types of warm season Bermuda grass seed in this mixture that will lay dormant until warmer spring temperatures will cause germination. This will likely occur in about April.. At this time we also anticipate that the existing, Bermuda and Kikuyu grass will begin growing again: `3. At the time of planting, the fieldwas fertilized with a 15-15-15 starter fertilizer at the rate of one pound per .1,000 square feet. This special application" will enhance `seed growth "after" the seed actually germinates and starts growing: CORTEZ PARK FIELD RENOVATION Page 2 — December 29, 1999 - ON -GOING EFFORTS As of today (December 29), we are in our 20th day since 'planting. The earliest seeds to germinate are now approximately two inches in - height and other seed germination continues to. occur and pop through the soil surface day-by-day: The first mowing of the, new grass is scheduled to occur next week. This mowing is critical as it causes the new grass to spread out and become thicker, increasing shoot growth density with each mowing cycle. We also intend to make: a second application of starter fertilizer again this next week, four weeks after the first application. This will further enhance turf growth and grass shoot density_. We will also make one overseeding application of Annual Ryegrass this week -to insure a thick canopy of turf on all areas. Annual Ryegrass is a quick germinating (3-6 days) type of grass that will survive as a filler until summer and the permanent grass types mature and fill all areas. CONSIDERATION OF SOD The idea of utilizing sod was raised ^ earlier this week and I have obtained costs for this option. The cost for installing sod in several of the areas that have not fully germinated are as follows:. _ p Area to:':ReceiveSod Permanent 19,000 s . ft. $12,500 Tem or 43,350 s . ft. 2� 8,000 TOTAL 62,350 s . ft $40,500 , While sod would provide immediate'"grass coverage on the portions of the field that have not yet fully germinated, my staff and.I believe that it would not provide the best long- term solution to the field's needs. Specifically; placing commercially available sod over portions of the field would result in, a lower grade turf grass that ultimately would not stand the intensity of use the field receives throughout the year. The blend of seed mixes used is designed specifically for heavy field usage throughout the year. In'addition, the. use of sod on portions of the field will create an elevation difference between the, sod Areas and the seeded areas: This can present playability concerns, as the elevation difference cannot be fully mitigated. Given these facts and the relatively high cost of sod,°I cannot recommend, the use of sod. _ CONCLUSION Given the fact that we have only had three weeks of growth time since planting, I believe the field is progressing very well. With close irrigation monitoring, additional fertilizing, and frequent mowing, this field will look very good in another 7 to 8 weeks (assuming .the Little League opening day is on March 4). The City hasmade a significant effort and investment to see that this, field is in'�.playable condition for the start of the Little League Z:memoltr jwc.maintenance.corteifield.01 fir.