If only it were as easy as purchasing the "right grass seed". City employees actually want to grow grass and know how to do their jobs. Of course grass can be grown on fields in areas that have more fields and fewer people. Like many challenges Somerville faces, it's linked to the incredible population density of our beloved city.
Everyone knowledgeable on the topic (Somerville has hired multiple consultants/experts who all agree) says that to maintain a grass field you need to LIMIT the play to 400-500 hours per year. We had over 1800 hours of play at Lincoln Park last year. That is what you get in an urban city full of healthy, active people. That is why ALL the grass fields in Somerville are dirt patches (except for Trum which is closed to most play). Our city currently "rations" recreation in a failed attempt to maintain grass. I think rationing is deplorable -- we should be enabling MORE healthy recreation for our citizens, not less. It's only getting worse as the city grows and skews to a younger demographic. Putting synthetic turf on less than 15% of Lincoln Field will ensure that the rest of the grass in the park thrives as well as help grass fields elsewhere in the city.
![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2016-02-08 03:51 pm (UTC)Everyone knowledgeable on the topic (Somerville has hired multiple consultants/experts who all agree) says that to maintain a grass field you need to LIMIT the play to 400-500 hours per year. We had over 1800 hours of play at Lincoln Park last year. That is what you get in an urban city full of healthy, active people. That is why ALL the grass fields in Somerville are dirt patches (except for Trum which is closed to most play). Our city currently "rations" recreation in a failed attempt to maintain grass. I think rationing is deplorable -- we should be enabling MORE healthy recreation for our citizens, not less. It's only getting worse as the city grows and skews to a younger demographic. Putting synthetic turf on less than 15% of Lincoln Field will ensure that the rest of the grass in the park thrives as well as help grass fields elsewhere in the city.