Tomorrow, the City of Weston will post this article in their weekly newsday on line magazine. For those who are not subscribers, the City asked if we could share this article with all of you. It explains the way they decide to close the fields and unfortunately, it is very topical. Newsday Tuesday Field Closures “Are the fields open?” This time of the year that is the most often asked question at the Weston Community Center and possibly the most often asked question citywide. As an example, over the past four weeks Weston Regional Park has received approximately 9 inches of rain, 3 more inches than over the same period last year. To understand why fields have to be closed there are several factors that are taken into account: • The three athletic parks were built at different times and with different construction methods. Vista Park, the newest of the three parks, was built with lateral drainage under the fields which makes them more resilient to significant rainfall. • Safety of participants is paramount. A wet or saturated field will lead to loose footing that can bring about a number of sport injuries that are easily avoided. • Each field must withstand an entire season of activity. While most users are worried about getting in one night of practice or their weekly game, the Parks Department must make sure the fields are safe throughout the season. If the fields are damaged in September or October, that has a lasting impact through November and December and even into the spring season. The fields get very little rest from August to June. “How much rain has to fall in order for the fields to be closed?” Unfortunately, it is not a simple calculation with a set number. The decision will vary depending on how much rainfall we have had in the days and weeks leading up to a moment in time and it will even vary depending on the time of day the rain comes. An inch of rain at 9:00 in the morning may be irrelevant if the sun comes out, stays out, and dries the fields. An inch of rain at 4:30 will likely close the fields for that night. The process used to determine if the fields should be closed is a professional judgment call. The Director of Parks and Recreation or his designated staff will walk each of the fields to see firsthand whether they will be ready for practice or games. Staff will always err on the conservative side. The reason our fields are highly regarded not only in South Florida but across the state is because we are very protective of them. “So if Vista is so great, why not provide the same drainage at the other parks?” The City has taken steps to make improvements on some fields. Unfortunately when not starting from scratch that work can be messy, costly, and most importantly, disruptive to existing programming. This past summer two of the Regional Park soccer fields received $200,000 in renovations to improve drainage. The project was a success but until more fields can be brought up to the same standard, scheduling will continue to be a logistical challenge for the leagues. The City Commission is considering a number of projects to improve the park infrastructure. In addition to budgeting for more field renovations, City staff is starting to explore the use of synthetic turf. A small, artificial turf field was recently installed on one of the City’s underutilized hockey courts to give athletes and maintenance personnel an opportunity to test the materials in consideration for future use on full sized fields. “Can anything else be done? Sports are important to our community.” Weston takes great pride in the City park system and long-term planning efforts are looking at better solutions to the demand being placed on the fields. The City Commission’s 10-year strategic plan has identified artificial turf fields as a priority, understanding the time and cost involved. Fortunately, the rainy season will be coming to an end. The frustration of the last four weeks should be giving way to the fabulous weather we all look forward to in South Florida. In the meantime to know if the fields are open you can go to westonfl.org/Departments/ParksAndRecreation/ParksStatus.aspx for current park status. You can also call the Weston Community Center at 954-389-4321 or wait for contact by your sports league.
Posted on: Mon, 29 Sep 2014 18:04:44 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015