Grass Will Always Be Greener in Poway

Stemming from the massive water conservation ordinance around the county, The Poway CIty Council has agreed to use more than $3 million in redevelopment money to replace grass playing fields with artificial turf.

Poway Mayor Don Higginson called the decision a "no-brainer" and speaker Chuck Cross called it a "win-win", reported our media partner, the North County Times. The new turf will reduce water use and increase the hours the fields can be used. But not everyone approved of this decision. Some said that the artificial turf contains toxins that could be harmful to kids health.

Either way, the aritficeal turf is expected to last 15 years and save thousands of dollars in maintenance costs each year. Maintenance, water and sod currently cost $44,150 each year while the synthetis fields will cost $9,500 per year, according to the North County Times.

On June 2, 2009, the Poway City Council heard a proposal to convert three grass playing fields in two city schools into artificial turf playgrounds – a project with a $3 million price tag, as reported by MyLocalNews.com.

The council will also be asked to declare a Level 2 water emergency starting July 1, 2009, triggering mandatory odd-even residential watering days and other instructions.

Local

news Apr 15

Share your feedback with NBC 7 San Diego

Things to Do in San Diego 7 hours ago

Things to do this weekend in San Diego: Mission Fed Artwalk, Belanova and more

City Manager Rod Gould is proposing two fields at Meadowbrook Middle School and one at Valley Elementary School be converted to artificial turf, saving 9 million gallons of water annually.

Gould said each of the three fields are used by community sports groups and that the turf will add 60 days of availability to those groups since they won’t need reseeding and other routine maintenance procedures, according to MyLocalNews.com.

Redevelopment funds will purchase the turf for the fields, but it will be installed and maintained at the expense of the Poway Unified School District, Gould wrote in a report to the council.