Leading up to the Oct. 2 event, a Sept. 24 Parks/Rec release said "Among the benefits of replacing natural grass with synthetic turf is reduced water use and better stormwater runoff management through subsurface drainage systems. The field does not require regular irrigation and has heat dissipating properties. Synthetic turf fields also have lower maintenance costs, are more accessible year-round than grass and have been shown to improve usability..."

But veteran El Dorado Park advocate Ann Cantrell counters that the artificial turf field will consume costly potable water instead of current reclaimed water, imposing additional fiscal (and arguably environmentally unfriendly) costs on taxpayers.

Sponsor

Councilwoman Mungo has noted that the project began under Councilwoman Schipske. City staff initially told the public and the Council that the El Dorado Park's artificial field's cost was covered within the FY14 budget (under Schipske) and FY 15 (under Mungo) to complete three artificial turf fields (Admiral Kidd, Seaside Park and El Dorado Park).

Artificial turf fields have since been installed at four other LB parks: Seaside Park, Admiral Kidd Park, the Drake-Chavez Park greeenbelt and Molina Park.

Sponsor

Councilwoman Mungo has noted that the project began under her predecessor, Councilwoman Gerrie Schipske. [Ms. Schipske is now an announced candidate to replace Mungo in 2022; at least one other candidate has already surfaced and others may do so.) However city staff initially told the public and the Council that the El Dorado Park's artificial field's cost was covered within the FY14 budget (under Schipske) and FY 15 (under Mungo) to complete three artificial turf fields (Admiral Kidd, Seaside Park and El Dorado Park).

On November 21 2019, city staff told LB's Parks/Recreation Commission that $3.6 million was available to cover all three fields, but internal city records, obtained by LBREPORT.com under the CA Public Record Act, show within months it became clear that the sum for the El Dorado Park field was much as $900,000 short because it was consumed by installation of the Admiral Kidd and Seaside Park fields.

Sponsor

Sponsor

City staff hasn't denied -- and twice acknowledged in publicly agendized items prior to Council votes -- the project's full $3,1 million cost, which LBREPORT.com and the Beachcomber reported while Mungo continued to deny it. In her Dec. 6 "Neighborly News" newsletter, Mungo stated that she is "So glad to see this improvement has come in well under the original estimated and inflated cost of $3.1 million...Please note that we did confirm with our Public Works team that the initial posted agenda item contained an error in the fiscal impact statement regarding the total cost. They have committed to correcting it before consideration Tuesday."

There was no "correction" by city staff before or during the Dec. 8 Council item giving the project final approval.

And city staff's press release for the Oct. 2 event acknowledges the field's full $3.1 million cost.

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