Meeting Minutes

The meeting was called to order at approximately 7:06 p.m.

1. Roll Call

Chairperson Davids distributed minutes from the June 16, 2005 meeting and agenda for tonight’s meeting. Roll was taken.

2. Approval of Minutes

During discussion of the minutes of June 16, 2005 committee members Katherine Tynan and ____ questioned the statement under number 3 quoted as follows: “Field lights will impact residents surrounding the park, but may not negatively impact property value.Depends on what motivates a buyer.” These members recalled statements of Mr. Shroyer that park lights and activity noise will likely reduce the number of purchase offers which would “probably” result in a lower purchase price. After a lengthy discussion, Chairperson Davids requested that the tape of the meeting be reviewed and that a transcription be prepared of all discussion related to the impact of lights and noise on sales price.The transcript will be reviewed at the next meeting.

After further discussion, the minutes were unanimously approved except for the item noted above.

3. Benefits of Natural Grass Turf:

Steve Abella – Delta Bluegrass Company

Mr. Steve Abella, an employee of Delta Bluegrass Company in Stockton, CA presented information and answered questions on natural turf as related to athletic use. Mr. Abella has been in the turf business since 1977 and is the current president of the Northern California Sports Turf Managers Association.

Mr. Abella presented himself as an advocate for natural turf but acknowledged that under conditions of very heavy use, the new generation synthetic products may be preferable.He also stated that in his mind, one problem with synthetic is the unknown – how it will function and hold up to heavy use over its represented 15 year plus life and how the replaced field will be disposed of.Contrarily, natural grass has been used by many generations and new and improved varieties continue to be developed to accommodate climatic and use requirements.

Slide Presentation and General Discussion

Mr. Abella began his presentation with a slide presentation featuring the construction and maintenance of grass fields.The committee’s discussion including a lengthy session of questions and answers is summarized in the narrative which follows.

Principal factors used to determine the best sports turf blend include:

• Type of activity
• Amount of foot traffic
• Location (climate)
• Maintenance equipment available

Sports turf varieties are generally Hybrid Bermuda, Bluegrass, Blue Grass/Rye blend, Perennial Rye blend, and Bentgrass.

Monster Park has Hybrid Bermuda but is seeded with Perennial Rye when the Bermuda goes dormant. Was once considered to be disease prone, but new varieties are hearty, and are adaptable to a cooler environment.

Fescue is the worst type of grass for sports. The grass gets caught in cleats, tears more easily without the ability to regrow like other blends. Fescue is good for park/home use, but it is not good for sports use.

Hybrid Bermuda is a vegetative grass and special equipment is needed for the maintenance. This type of grass goes dormant in the winter.

Bluegrass is common in this area, but is not good in hot temperatures. Striping patters with Blue/Rye blends were shown on slides as an example of natural turf.

Pac Bell park has planted Blue Grass then Blue Grass/Rye, and now are back to Blue Grass. At SBC, different varieties are used for different sports.

Slides of the different installation equipment were shown. Slides of the natural turf rolls showed the size and strength of the turf. Equipment for sand fields needs to be lighter to ensure the sand beneath the turf is disrupted as little as possible.

Mr. Abella gave an example of a football field his company re-turfed. Starting at 7:00 a.m., and the field was completed by 11:30 a.m.

SBC drains well; the grass can be played on an hour after the rain stops.

Grass from large stadiums is generally discarded when removed; there is no organized resale market at this time.

Turf on sand base

Heavy use, cleats, wet soils are problem areas for this type of a base.

Sand with gravel layer usage works well for drainage. Grass is grown in sand to produce a strong, nice looking turf.

Natural turf is changing with the times. Renovations can be planned and an accurate cost estimate can be given. Plastic netting in natural turf produces the turf faster and holds together in the netting for a strong turf. Blue grass and Bermuda create their own webbing in the roots so plastic netting is not necessary.

Is natural turf a good option to play on year round? What is the best sub-base?

Drainage of the soil is a factor, clay does not drain well.

Sand fields are great in rainy years with a drainage system modification – a slit system to get water off of the fields should be used.

Blue grass/Rye mix is best because the roots spread. No field can play year round. Closure for maintenance is necessary. Cool season grass – Blue grass/Rye peak in the fall and spring.Renovations are done in summer when it’s hot, not the best time due to the heat.

How much down time is needed?

At least four weeks recovery is necessary in prime growing season to allow for 4 –5 inches root depth; surface density is also checked.

Temperature for grass is ideal at 40 – 50 degrees for cool grass, 60 degrees for Bermuda.

South of Palo Alto Bermuda grass is very successful due to a warmer climate.

How much more use would we get from what is installed now compared to what was installed 10 years ago?

If the soil was modified and properly amended it would allow better drainage. If the appropriate blend of grass were used, the field would last twice as long.

Under perfect conditions, how much would a field cost?

Irrigation is a factor. $150,000 - $200,000 for a 100,000 sq ft field

$1.00 - $1.50/sq. ft. closer to $2.00 with a new irrigation system. Older fields can be renovated; it would be expensive but not out of reach.

Approximate cost would be $10,000 - $20,000, maybe more per year for maintenance including staff, but excluding water.

Sand vs. Soil based –

Sand fields are not stable when they are worn down to the sand level, the sand shifts underneath.

Native soil field roots hold better – Bermuda holds stronger so the repair/replacement costs go way down.

Sand fields are on the upper end of the maintenance scale, as they need to be more frequently maintained.

Modified native soil fields are best for this area although sand fields are better for drainage.

More downtime is needed with a sand based field as replacement time is more frequent.

A denser turf is necessary for a sand based field.

How long will natural turf live?

Mr. Abella has worked on fields that are 15-18 years old and the grass has never been changed. Hours of use are a factor. The website shows which grass will hold up better under hours of use and sport played.

One criteria people use - how many years will synthetic last?

No one really knows; the warranty and reality may not be the same. Good installation and field use are the main criteria.

Can soccer be played in the rain on natural turf?

It can be, but it’s best for the field if it is closed.

Is rain or irrigation the reason for good drainage? Rain.

Hybrids use half the amount of water as Blue grass or Rye. Blue grass and Rye are the biggest water users. Hybrid in this area would use a lot less water.

Rolling will compact the field.Sand does not compact as well as native soil. Mr. Abella tries to persuade people away from sand based due to the wear factor and other issues. Environmental issues may cause sand base to be discontinued. Drainage of chemicals and nutrients through the sand into the bay is an environmental issue.

Could the sand in existing sand fields be re-used?

Mr. Abella was not really sure; it would depend on the type of sand.

If Bermuda were optimal, when would Rye over seeding occur?

August is the optimal time.October – December seeding is a slow growth but is still fine.

Baseball could be played right away on over seeded grass. Over seeding covers the brown grass.

Will root systems compete with over seeding?

If the field is left dormant in the winter with the first rain the weeds will take over. Rye grass can co-exist with Bermuda for an excellent surface.

Chairperson Davids thanked Mr. Abella for his time and information.

4. Report from Matrix Sub-Committee

The subcommittee plans to present their report at the July 21 meeting.

5. Discussion of Values

Chairperson Davids asked members to review the list of values for discussion at the next meeting. Any additional “values” should be sent to Chairperson Davids or Mr. Weiss via e-mail.

6. Next Steps

Meetings will continue as scheduled.Chair Davids expects the committee to complete its work by late August or Early September.

7. Public Comment

Regarding the lighting and values issue from the beginning of the meeting, Cal Huntzinger reported that his family looked for a home for 18 months and found that each bid to purchase was “worth” another $10,000. He reported that his realtor agreed with this finding.

Committee Member Comment

Committee member Thompson expressed his opinion that Mr. Shroyer was not an expert and that the group should not hang on every word said. Mr. Shroyer had no data but did offer his expertise.

8 .Next Meeting Date

July 21, 2005

San Carlos Library

9. Adjournment