Commission to Get Briefing on Recent Park Maintenance Projects Through City

[UPDATED] The Parks and Natural Resources Division will report Tuesday on park maintenance activities performed throughout the City between March 1 and April 30 this year.

The report will be presented to the city’s Recreation and Parks Commission, which meets every first Tuesday of the month.

A preliminary report by the Public Works Department showed playground areas at Brenner Park, Jefferson Park and Villa Parke have been resurfaced with Fibar, a system of engineered wood fibers that knit together to form a surface soft enough to cushion falls, but firm enough for wheelchair and other mobility device access. Fibar reapplication is usually performed in March and April annually, the report showed.

Other park maintenance work performed during the past two months include roadside clearance at the Lower Arroyo, with park staff and contractors clearing dead and dry weed and brush to reduce fire risk. Vegetation along the area grows to over five feet fast during the winter rainfall, but becomes dry and presents a fire danger after the rainy season. Year-round, this vegetation has to be cleared to mitigate dry brush and weeds.

At Jefferson Park, Hamilton Park and Victory Park, baseball infield maintenance was performed by evenly grading divots and installing new pitching rubbers.

Park staff also completed efforts to clean the perimeter walking area of Brookside Park Area H and apply a layer of mulch. Backfilling and mulching serves as both a safety measure and improves aesthetics.

In coordination with the South Lake Business Association, park staff also completed renovation of the median on South Lake Avenue with new landscape and irrigation. The renovations include a new water-efficient drip irrigation system and a California native plant pallet. Staff also added mulch to protect the soil from the sun and reduce evapotranspiration rates.

At Villa Parke, Parks staff has prepared the site for a future beautification project by removing the existing plant material, grading the soil levels to appropriate heights and auditing the irrigation system. Public Works said the landscape adjacent to the playground had become overgrown and was in much need of improvement. To replace it, Public Works will plant drought-tolerant California native plants and add a more efficient drip irrigation system.

At Vina Vieja Park, multiple crews mobilized simultaneously throughout March and April to comb through the park and perform brush clearance, weed abatement, irrigation audit, and lawn and shrub care.

Along the Central Arroyo/Washington Connector Trail, staff also performed hand-pruning among the shrubs to keep the vegetation looking natural and untouched. The Arroyo Seco is mainly a natural open space where park users from all over the county come for the natural beauty that’s seen through miles of trails and open space. Staff hand-prunes once blooms have expired or plants have become dormant.

At Washington Park, multiple crews also performed hillside brush clearance, weed abatement work, irrigation audits and lawn and shrub care, as part of the park’s enhancement project.

At Brookside Park, crews also recently repainted all wood picnic tables and benches. This fresh coat of paint will enhance the park’s aesthetics while protecting the wood from the elements and prolonging the lifespan of the benches and tables.

Details of the park maintenance work will be fully reported at Tuesday’s meeting, which begins at 6 p.m.