Parks board backs artificial turf for Centennial Park fields

Weighing results from a recent survey and public comment made Tuesday night, the Carson City Parks and Recreation Commission decided the four upper softball fields at Centennial Park in northeast Carson City should be converted to artificial, or synthetic, turf.

Following more than two hours of public presentations and discussion, commissioners voted unanimously to recommend the project as presented to the Board of Supervisors.

Acknowledging the exact product and costs were still up in the air, Parks and Recreation Commission Chair Kurt Meyer said, “Up here, if I vote yes on this, I want my yes to sound out loudly to say ‘Hey, let’s do this the right way and let’s give Carson City and the residents of Carson City the best product that we can get and don’t buy something substandard in lieu of that.’”

Conversion to artificial turf was proposed to be part of park improvements funded by general-obligation bonds of up to $5 million, which the Board of Supervisors authorized earlier this year after required hearings. Per an agreement between the city and the Carson City Culture and Tourism Authority (CTA or Visit Carson City), the bonds were secured with a portion of room tax revenue, meaning visitors would initially pay for the new fields.

Carson City Parks Operation Superintendent David Navarro Jr. said he preferred natural grass surfaces but considering the number of games played at upper Centennial, he could “triple my three employees up there, and we still wouldn’t be able to keep up with the use.”

Navarro estimated artificial turf costs around $1 million a field and presented figures on current use for the upper fields. According to Navarro, each field sees between 494 and 1,016 games a season in recreational and tournament use combined. His figures showed the grass outfields and dirt infields requiring more than 1,000 labor hours a season, and the grass using on average 8 million gallons of water a season.

Park commissioners and members of the public had safety concerns about playing in current conditions, which they worried didn’t make an even playing surface. Maintenance issues have included flooding, and the parks department is concurrently working on drainage improvements as well as a revamp of the park’s tennis courts and restroom facilities.

“I was surprised to see the number of games that are actually played out there at that complex. With the number of maintenance staff we have and the ability to maintain those fields, I really don’t see how there is any way to continue to operate that facility with natural turf,” said Commissioner Dave Whitefield. “It just doesn’t seem safe. It doesn’t seem just feasible to do it.”

Blake Gudmundson told commissioners he was the umpire chief for Carson City Softball for 25 years and that Carson loses tournaments to the Golden Eagle sports complex in Sparks, which has artificial turf.

“No offense to anybody, but the fields are terrible,” he said of Centennial. “The infields are dangerous. There are inches, two to three inches of sand around each base. It’s terrible. You take all of that away with a turf complex.”

Other members of the public were concerned about the safety and environmental impacts of artificial turf.

“I think the decision you are being called upon to make, is an important one for our community,” resident Robyn Orloff wrote in an Aug. 19 letter to the parks commission. “I for one, oppose a vote for artificial turf at Centennial Park — in view of the documented health, injury, sustainability, air/water/soil, and financial impacts.”

In 2016, the federal government launched a multiagency study into tire crumb rubber used as infill material in synthetic turf. The second report of the project was published in April.

“In general, the findings from the entire playing fields field portion of the FRAP study (both the Tire Crumb Characterization Part 1 and the Tire Crumb Exposure Characterization Part 2 combined) support the conclusion that although chemicals are present (as expected) in the tire crumb rubber and exposures can occur, they are likely limited,” according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

The EPA listed four examples from the study:

“Generally, only small amounts of most organic chemicals are released from tire crumb into the air through emissions. For many chemicals measured during active play at the outdoor fields, concentrations in air were not different than background samples while others were somewhat higher.

“For metals, only small fractions (i.e., <1 to 3%) are released from tire crumb rubber into simulated biological fluids compared to a default assumption of 100% bioaccessibility.

“In the biomonitoring pilot study, concentrations for metals measured in blood were similar to those in the general population.

“No differences in PAH (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons) metabolites in urine were observed between study participants using synthetic turf fields compared to those using grass fields.”

The full EPA reports are available online: https://www.epa.gov/chemical-research/federal-research-recycled-tire-crumb-used-playing-fields-and-playgrounds.

A recent Carson City survey drew 760 respondents, according to parks staff, and roughly 60 percent were in favor of converting the upper fields at Centennial to artificial turf, though about 53 percent generally preferred natural turf and dirt.

Top-voted advantages of synthetic turf were easy maintenance, consistent surface, water conservation and all-weather playability, while top-voted disadvantages were hotter playing surface, increased risk of injury, health and environmental concerns.

Anthony Stevenson of Lloyd Sports and Engineering was also at Tuesday’s meeting. The Board of Supervisors is expected to review a $238,405 contract with Lloyd for design phase of the artificial turf facility.

Stevenson said Lloyd specializes in both natural grass and synthetic turf sport facilities and has worked with other park departments and professional leagues like the NFL.

“As far as the heat goes, the heat with synthetic turf is real. It’s basically noted and documented,” he said.

But heat issues can be mitigated through water cannons or infill type (what goes between the turf’s synthetic fibers), Stevenson explained. Parks staff noted the industry offers organic infill options like cork and coconut husk. Passed around Tuesday was a synthetic turf sample from TenCate that didn’t require infill.

“It can definitely be addressed,” Stevenson said. “If you think of Arizona, there are plenty of high schools. There are plenty of recreation programs there that have synthetic turf. Actually, the largest synthetic turf installation in the world is in Phoenix, Arizona: 3.1 million square feet of soccer fields and baseball fields … and two of my colleagues, their kids play there almost year-round, and through some of these different systems we’re able to mitigate the heat.”

David Peterson, executive director of Visit Carson City, attended the hearing as well, making the case for a modern sports facility in the capital city.

“The opportunities here, I am happy to say, in front of us right now to spur additional visitor investment in Carson City will not only benefit our lodging properties … but our restaurants, our bars, our museums, our galleries and gas stations and the like,” he said.

According to Stevenson, synthetic fields can last 8-15 years depending on use. Commissioner Lea Case asked what would happen when bond proceeds run out and the city needs to replace the artificial turf.

“Where does that money come from in 10 years and who is responsible?” she said.

Carson City Parks and Recreation Director Jen Budge responded that depreciation would be considered. She added the infield areas might wear out more quickly.

“We’re going to plan out years ahead using the Quality of Life capital budget for replacement,” she said.

The Quality of Life initiative was passed by Carson voters in 1996 and enacted a .25 percent sales tax, with 40 percent of proceeds going to the open space program, 40 percent to parks projects and 20 percent for parks and facilities maintenance.