July 2010 - Parks & Recreation - 42

o p e rati o ns

By Jess Clarke

Grounds Maintenance
Finding greener, more economical solutions

hen Douglas County, Colorado, was planning two

new parks in 2003, a drought in the area spurred staff to
pursue a design to reduce irrigation needs. The tiered
turf concept they chose mixes the use of synthetic and irrigated turfs,
native and non-native low-water turfs, ornamental grasses and hard and
soft surface areas of concrete and crushed rock.
Some of the turf needs no watering, while other surfaces require
less water than traditional grass
playing fields. That has cut projected water use by about 50 percent
and reduced the need for fertilizing,
mowing and other maintenance at
the two parks. " Changing your way
of thinking isn't necessarily bad. Water is a finite resource, especially in
the West. Any time we're able to cut our
consumption, it's a positive thing. Any
time we cut our fertilizer use, it's a compounding
solution. It just kind of feeds upon itself, " says Randy Burkhardt, Director of Parks, Trails and Building
Grounds for Douglas County, just south of Denver.
Many park and recreation departments around
the country are finding ways to put more green into
their grounds with environmentally friendly practices
and products. Some agencies have installed waterless
urinals and solar-powered lights in public bathrooms
and on athletic fields. Others use fuel-conserving
equipment. Another measure is computerized irrigation systems that monitor watering based on rainfall,
humidity, and soil moisture rather than routine.
Some departments use environmentally friendly
cleaning agents, biodegradable bags for pet waste
at dog parks, and such alternative products as a
molasses-based application for fields that retains
water to reduce irrigation. Green practices can be
as simple as planting trees, wildflowers and other
vegetation to decrease mowing needs, fuel use, and
emissions. " Local parks are a good place to show

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what can be done, " says Bill Beckner, NRPA's research manager. " As a whole, we're a little ahead
of the curve. That doesn't mean that we aren't also
all over the map. Some agencies are very much into
the whole green concept, and with others it's basically not on their radar at all. "
The upfront cost of green products and equipment sometimes is higher than regular materials.
Whatever the cost, how much an agency in any locality pursues green ideas depends on the attitudes
of park managers, elected officials, and the public. Some park and recreation departments follow
environmental policies established for all public
agencies in their locality. The Mecklenburg County
Park and Recreation Department in Charlotte, North
Carolina, has guidelines for recycled products and
other environmental stewardship practices, as does
the county. Playground equipment and safety surfacing, for example, must contain a certain amount
of recycled content.
The park and recreation department has several electric vehicles, one with solar panels to charge
its batteries. The vehicles are used partly for trash
collection and field maintenance. " The cost savings might be minimal to start with, but they build
over time pretty quickly, " says Michael Kirschman,
Mecklenburg's Division Director for Nature Preserves and Natural Resources.
As with the parks in Douglas County, Colorado, the Laurel Hill Golf Club in Lorton, Virginia,
which opened in 2005, was designed to be more
environmentally friendly. The club, part of the Fairfax County Park Authority, has a tiered system of

July 2010 - Parks & Recreation

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