Synthetic playing fields will replace deteriorated grass and dirt at two heavily-used San Diego County sports parks, with a national nonprofit donating $1.5 million worth of artificial turf and related equipment.
The County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously Wednesday to accept the donation from Community Sports Development Council, Inc. for artificial turf fields at Sweetwater Lane Park in Spring Valley and the 4S Ranch Sports Park in the 4S Ranch community near Rancho Peñasquitos.
“This really is a remarkable partnership, and I think it’s great to see people stepping up to the plate, literally, and doing things that are good for the whole community,” said Supervisor Pam Slater-Price, whose district includes 4S Ranch.
The turf donations are valued at $850,000 for Sweetwater Lane and $650,000 for 4S Ranch. Installing synthetic fields at the popular parks is expected to save about 23 million gallons of water and $140,000 in water costs each year, said Jason Hemmens, development chief for County Parks and Recreation.
New turf fields are also expected to keep the fields open more, because grass fields suffer wear and tear and must be periodically closed for re-growth and maintenance.
Parks and Recreation staff discovered the Community Sports Development nonprofit while researching non-taxpayer funding sources for installing synthetic fields, said Hemmens.
The group is an industry alliance that promotes the development of “all-weather” sports facilities in the U.S. and abroad and helps local governments develop facilities with donated materials.
The County’s projects mark the first time the group has made a donation in California, Hemmens said.
Teams play baseball, football and soccer at 11-acre Sweetwater Lane Park, the “premier sports facility in Spring Valley,” said Supervisor Dianne Jacob, who represents the district.
The artificial turf installation there will start this spring and replace grass at the park’s four baseball fields and five multi-use fields.
The project is expected to cost $4,650,000 and will include $600,000 in funding from the Spring Valley community’s special parks assessment district, $ 3.2 million in County funding, and the $850,000 in donated materials.
The 25-acre 4S Sports Park is used by some 16,718 youth and adults and 40 organizations each year, Slater-Price said. Replacement of grass with synthetic turf at the park’s four multi-use fields is scheduled for the fall.
The new fields are expected to cost $ 2,250,000 million, with $ 1.5 million in funding from the 4S Ranch community’s two special parks assessment districts and the balance from the donated materials.
