SportsTurf provides current, practical and technical content on issues relevant to sports turf managers, including facilities managers. Most readers are athletic field managers from the professional level through parks and recreation, universities.
Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/506886
12 SportsTurf | May 2015 www.sportsturfonline.com T he City of Long Branch is located on the Jersey shore, just south of Sandy Hook and north of the more well-known Asbury Park. As is the case with any oceanfront resort area, summer sees a seasonal swell in the population and a strain on ser- vices. When I began working for the Public Works Department in 1998, there was virtually no parks maintenance program in place. Fortunately, a city councilman who happened to run the sports field maintenance facilities for Monmouth University was instrumen- tal in establishing a bonafide Parks Department. With a $70,000 budget, we were able to purchase Toro Z Masters, an Infield Pro, and a Workman. Previously we had used old Cub Cutters for cutting and dragging ballfields. There were no fertilization or treatment programs of any kind in place. Seeding was only something you did for bare spots in the turf. Our four-man crew began attending seminars and training sessions and I studied and tested for my pesticide license. In 2005 I was made Parks Supervisor. Aside from the seven major parks that are maintained we are responsible for municipal buildings and grounds which include city hall, two libraries, and vari- ous riverfront areas and rights-of-way. More often than not we find ourselves scrambling to meet the high demands of recreational schedules of the vari- ous local organizations and day camps organized by the summer visitors. If we are lucky enough to acquire extra help seasonally such as college or high school students, they are usually used primar- ily on the beachfront only occasionally being of help in the parks. This attention given to the upkeep of the beaches also makes it difficult to manage any projects for the parks system at this time of the year. Even something as fundamental as aerating a soccer field can be difficult when all available equipment is desig- nated to beach rakes. In 2008 the city broke ground on a 20-acre sports complex in a riverfront area known as Manahassett Creek. The sheer size of the complex drastically increased our work load. The initial cost for first phase of construction was $3.9 MANAGING PARKS IN AN URBAN ENVIRONMENT FACILITY & OPERATIONS ■ BY FRANK RAVASCHIERE Top Image: Fourteen acre synthetic complex viewed southward from soccer fields. Bottom Left: Pop Warner football field facing east. Bottom Right: Soccer fields with syn- thetic softball field in the distance.