First step for Centennial Park artificial turf approved

The multi-million-dollar artificial turf project at Centennial Park in northeast Carson City is moving forward with the stamp of approval from the Board of Supervisors. But the project is not moving forward with tire crumb rubber for the new fields.

The board voted unanimously Thursday to approve a $238,405 contract with Lloyd Consulting Group LLC to design the project that will convert the four upper softball fields at the park to artificial, or synthetic, turf. The motion specifically excluded crumb rubber (made from scrap tire material) as an infill option. The motion also stipulated city staff bring the project back in the design phase, prior to bid, giving supervisors a chance to review what different infill materials would cost.

“I see how spectators interact with it (crumb rubber). I see how players interact with it, and I’m not comfortable with it, and I don’t think it’s the best choice,” said Supervisor Curtis Horton. “And if we’re going to do something like this, we need to do it right the first time.”

Supervisor Maurice White was also adamantly opposed to crumb rubber, arguing a recent study from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency was not conclusive.

“This study does not tell us the turf is safe,” he said.

More information about crumb rubber is online: https://www.epa.gov/chemical-research/federal-research-recycled-tire-crumb-used-playing-fields-and-playgrounds.

Echoing an Aug. 20 endorsement of the project by the city’s Parks and Recreation Commission, Supervisor Stacey Giomi asserted the natural grass fields aren’t currently safe due to inadequate maintenance staff.

“The Reno Aces have a staff of almost 10 people to maintain that field, 10 people for one field. If you’re going to talk about that kind of commitment, almost a million dollars in staff, I would play all day on a grass field like that, but that is not a reality here,” he said.

Besides safety and health concerns, the budget for the project was an issue. 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. 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 and Recreation has maintained depreciation of the new fields would be considered, and Quality of Life capital funds (from a voter-approved .25 percent sales tax) could be used for future replacement.

During public comment, resident and Ward 4 candidate Lucia Maloney worried future replacement costs could eat up the annual Quality of Life capital budget. She said she found the upper Centennial complex makes up 15 percent of city fields and added, “We’re not talking about any other facilities at these regional fields, and we’re not talking about any of our dozen of playgrounds.”

Horton asked that Parks and Recreation commit to good planning and not let the new fields impact other projects. He warned against the city overextending itself.

“We will need to hustle. We will need to find alternative funding sources to leverage that funding to make the best use of that. We have a million other projects on our list that don’t get funded,” said Parks and Recreation Director Jen Budge. “We don’t have the money now to fund the entire parks system. The Quality of Life fund is amazing. It was very progressive and thought-out well in the ‘90s, but 20 percent of that funding goes toward maintenance, 40 percent to open space, 40 percent to capital. If I could go back to the ‘90s, I would switch that around where we have the majority going to maintenance. Because once you build it, you have to take care of it.”

Anthony Stevenson of Lloyd Consulting Group said the Golden Eagle facility in Sparks still has some original synthetic turf from installation 15 years ago.

“The turf is generally not done all at once, though it can be if you like,” he said. “Generally, what you’re going to see is every two to four years, they’re going to replace your batter’s boxes and maybe some areas around your mound or first, second or third base.”

Stevenson said infields typically need to be replaced between 8 and 12 years, and outfields between 12 and 16 years.

Visit Carson City has been supportive of the project as have players and tournament organizers.

Supervisor Lisa Schuette wondered if Visit Carson City could assist, monetarily, with maintenance of the fields. Giomi, who sits on the Visit Carson City board, said he didn’t think it could be a significant contribution as the room tax rate is competitive with other areas and there is no desire to increase it.

“I think it’s a fair question,” Schuette said. “I also think it’s important to really look at the benefit to the community when there are heads in beds. You know, we talk about costs of maintenance, and we talk about costs of this project. We also have the benefits of people coming to this area and, you know, staying in the hotels and eating in the restaurants and participating in other ways and contributing to the sales tax and all of that.”

Schuette was also a proponent of an alternative, more eco-friendly infill and inquired into the cost as compared to crumb rubber.

Stevenson gave a rough estimate for a cork system, saying it would cost $200,000 more than rubber infill.

“It’s in the tens and hundreds of thousands of dollars, but it’s not necessarily in the millions of dollars,” he said, adding natural alternatives can also mitigate heat issues.

After the hearing, Stevenson discussed alternative infills like cork, natural infills derived from coconut husks, walnut shells, olive pits and some wood products like processed yellow pine pellets. He told the Appeal he was confident he could work with the current budget.

Budge told the Appeal the majority of the Quality of Life capital budget for this year, $1 million, was allocated toward Centennial to augment the bond funding and fund concurrent projects like drainage improvements. She added the Quality of Life funds are not the only funding sources for the department. Redevelopment funding, grants and other sources are in play, she said.

In other action:

• Supervisors tabled a resolution declaring the city’s intent to lease up to 218 acre-feet annually of Clear Creek surface water rights to the Washoe Development Corporation (WDC) for a sawmill operation in Douglas County near Topsy Lane.

The proposal was for five years, plus the option to renew for another five years, and would have generated $35,518 annually for the city. However, supervisors decided a higher rate was needed and directed staff to bring the proposed resolution and lease terms back, aiming for 75-90 cents per 1,000 gallons versus 50 cents per 1,000 gallons.

According to Public Works, the city owns 265.5 acre-feet annually of surface water but does not currently need the water. Sawmill operations began in 2022 after the Washoe Tribe leased 37 acres near Clear Creek to Tahoe Forest Products. TFP previously estimated the sawmill would produce up to 50 million board feet a year, focusing on forest thinning and salvaging of burned wood from wildfire zones.

“The WDC through the (Washoe Tribe) has three goals: protect Mother Earth, which we believe this project does; create workforce development, which it does — we have many tribal members working for TFP — and then create some kind of sustainable revenue that comes back to the tribe,” said Wendy Loomis, president of WDC.

Several neighbors to the Douglas County sawmill attended Thursday, concerned how the water transfer would affect their neighborhood, including domestic wells.

Loomis said surface water rights were pursued so the tribe didn’t have to install a well, which, she worried, could affect the local aquifer more.

Carson City Mayor Lori Bagwell said the city was trying to be a good neighbor to all and asked Carson City Utility Manager Andy Hummel about water use at the site.

“From the well-versus-surface-water standpoint, the well could have more of an impact on private wells, for sure,” he said.

Horton suggested WDC monitor samples from private wells to determine any effects. He mentioned Carson City has done this on numerous occasions.

“It’s something that’s easily done. It’s not expensive. It’s a simple process,” he said.