HomeMy WebLinkAbout05/03/2005, C7 - PURCHASE OF TOP DRESSER (TURF TENDER) FOR SPORTS FIELDS i
council "'�°°ft 05/03/05
j agenda RepoRt e7
CITY OF SAN LUIS OBISPO
FROM: Jay Walter, Public Works Director
Prepared By: Todd Beights, Parks &Urban Forest Supervisor
Pamela King, Supervising Admin. Assistant.
SUBJECT: PURCHASE OF TOP DRESSER (TURF TENDER)FOR SPORTS FIELDS
CAO RECOMMENDATION
Approve transferring $16,200 from the Landscape & Park Maintenance —Landscape & Pruning
Contract budget to fund the capital purchase of a sports field Turf Tender.
DISCUSSION
The function of top dressing turf areas is to introduce sand, amendments or mulch onto the
surface of playing fields and parks. To reduce the soil compaction, thus increasing the safety of
playing surfaces, staff typically core aerates the turf then returns sand into the core holes
(displacing the native clay soil)by use of a top dresser.
Historically, staff has been able to borrow a top dresser from the San Luis Coastal School District
to perform this twice-a-year maintenance task. The District's equipment suffered catastrophic
failure last year and is not scheduled for replacement. Additionally, the need for routinely top
dressing the newly finished Damon-Garcia Sports Complex has been identified as a necessity by
turf specialists and a Cal Poly Professor of Agronomy specializing in turf management. The
safety of the playing surface, as well as the vigor and long term health of the turf at this complex,
will be compromised if this recommended procedure is not followed. This specialized
equipment cannot be rented or leased and owning a top dresser will allow staff to integrate these
maintenance routines at other City Parks, thus improving the health, safety, and appearance of
these facilities.
Public Works obtained three quotes for this piece of equipment.
CONCURRENCES
The City's Fleet Maintenance Supervisor concurs with this purchase. Fleet Maintenance has
sufficient resources to maintain this additional unit in the fleet inventory.
FISCAL IMPACT
Funds are available in the Landscape & Park Maintenance — Landscape & Pruning Contract
budget for this acquisition and will be transferred to the Capital Outlay Fund for this project.
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Purchase of Top Dresser(Turf Tender)for Sports Fields Page 2
ALTERNATIVES
Deny the request to purchase the equipment. The sports fields at Damon-Garcia are the first
fields that the City owns that will be used for soccer, rugby, and lacrosse. Due to the high turf
contact with these sports, the aeration process is used to maintain the safety of these fields.
Without this piece of equipment, it will be difficult to maintain the fields at an optimum level
and will likely deteriorate at a faster rate.
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