Parks/Rec Staff Asks Parks/Rec Comm'n To Recommend Artificial Turf Field At El Dorado Park West
If LBREPORT.com didn't tell you, who would?
No one in LBREPORT.com's ownership, reporting or editorial decision-making has ties to development interests, advocacy groups or other special interests; or is seeking or receiving benefits of City development-related decisions; or holds a City Hall appointive position; or has contributed sums to political campaigns for Long Beach incumbents or challengers. LBREPORT.com isn't part of an out of town corporate cluster and no one its ownership, editorial or publishing decisionmaking has been part of the governing board of any City government body or other entity on whose policies we report.
LBREPORT.com is reader and advertiser supported. Support independent news in LB similar to the way people support NPR and PBS stations. We're not non-profit so it's not tax deductible but $49.95 (less than an annual dollar a week) helps keep us online.
(November 16, 2019, 8:15 a.m.) -- Long Beach Parks/Recreation management has agendized an item for the November 21 meeting of LB's Parks & Recreation Commission (9 a.m., El Dorado Park Senior Center Library, 2800 Studebaker Rd.) seeking the Commission's recommendation to the City Manager to approve "an artificial turf sports field with associated improvements at El Dorado Park West (along Studebaker Rd. between Willow St. and the Parks/Rec administration building.)
Image source: City management agendizing memo
In an agendizing memo (here, Parks/Rec Planning Bureau Manager Meredith Reynolds says that City Council-approved FY14 and FY15 budgets included $3.59 million in "one-time" funding for turf conversion projects at Admiral Kidd Park (WLB), Seaside Park (Central LB) and El Dorado Park West. The Admiral Kidd and Seaside Parks projects are completed, and Parks/Rec staff says the El Dorado Park artificial turf sports field will replace an existing grass sports field along Studebaker between Willow St. and Barrios St.
The artificial turf sports field will use cork and sand fill, not "crumb rubber" (the latter drawing public pushback and prompting a 2015 Parks/Recreation Commission majority vote to recommend cork/sand fill.) The City also has two other artificial turf fields; one at the Drake-Chavez Park greenbelt, the other at Molina Park (which both opened in 2018.)
[Scroll down for further.]
The memo says the El Dorado Park artificial turf field will include "a 42" wire fence and soccer netting behind each goal on the north and south ends of the field, while permanent perimeter boulders, designed to restrict vehicle access to the field but not block views into to the Park, will be located to the east and west of the field."
Image source: City management agendizing memo
And Parks/Rec staff's memo states: "The Project will not include field lights."
But 5th district resident Raman Vasishth says the two artificial turf fields at Admiral Kidd and Seaside Parks have lights, and all the artificial turf fields in Long Beach have fences, leading him to believe that installing the El Dorado Park turf field without lights now may be an incremental strategy to lay the groundwork for installing field lights later.
Sponsor
Sponsor
Mr. Vasishth also questions the need for an artificial turf field in El Dorado Park in the first place, saying he believes it's simply not warranted on the merits.
The memo says "consistent with existing City practices, field permitting priority will be given to City programming, Long Beach Unified School District, and local youth leagues." It adds that "Replacing natural grass turf with synthetic turf on soccer fields has several benefits, including providing a playing surface that addresses field safety issues and enhances playability to meet demand."
Sponsor
Sponsor
Veteran El Dorado Park protective resident Ann Cantrell has also previously opposed adding artificial turf, saying the playing surface is considerably hotter than natural grass and issues with gopher holes and the like on natural grass can be addressed using natural means.
In terms of Fiscal Impact, management's memo says the field includes $850,000 from the Measure A sales tax and $617,478 "from City Council One-time funds" budgeted in the Public Works Capital Projects Fund. It says Parks/Rec will be responsible for maintaining the artificial turf sports field from funds not yet identified that will be sought in as part of City Hall's FY21 budget process.
Sponsor
Sponsor
Sponsor
Support really independent news in Long Beach. No one in LBREPORT.com's ownership, reporting or editorial decision-making has ties to development interests, advocacy groups or other special interests; or is seeking or receiving benefits of City development-related decisions; or holds a City Hall appointive position; or has contributed sums to political campaigns for Long Beach incumbents or challengers. LBREPORT.com isn't part of an out of town corporate cluster and no one its ownership, editorial or publishing decisionmaking has been part of the governing board of any City government body or other entity on whose policies we report. LBREPORT.com is reader and advertiser supported. You can help keep really independent news in LB similar to the way people support NPR and PBS stations. We're not non-profit so it's not tax deductible but $49.95 (less than an annual dollar a week) helps keep us online.
