Since the time the Village of Garden City acquired St. Paul's School, many village organizations have come to rely on the large amount of open space at St. Paul's for their athletic programs. Unfortunately, after years of hard use, the fields, which weren't in the best shape even when acquired, are now in need of major repair and improvement.

For several months, village officials and the Cultural and Recreation Commission have been considering options to that end. Two consultants, A. James deBruin and Sons and Island Horticulture Services, Inc., were engaged to study the problem and advise the village on the best course of action. The program devised by the consultants provides for the installation of a new irrigation system and other treatment to improve the turf and protect against its future deterioration.

The cost of these improvements was included in the budget adopted by the board of trustees for the village's current fiscal year. At its regular meeting on May 2, trustees awarded a contract to the Landtek Group, Inc. at a total cost of $599,000 to undertake the improvements.

All that remained was to adopt a schedule for the work, which has proven to be the most difficult part. The consultants advise that the best and most effective approach for improving the open space in the shortest amount of time is to remove the entire St. Paul's open space area from use for two playing seasons - fall 2002 and spring 2003. This will enable the improvements to be made and to allow time for the new turf to take hold and develop.

Village officials and members of the Cultural and Recreation Commission are painfully aware that closing the open space even temporarily will be an inconvenience for the many residents who have come to rely on the ready availability of the fields for their athletic programs. Before taking this drastic approach, recreation department staff and members of the recreation commission met with representatives of the major programs that would be affected to explain the consultants' proposal and obtain their input.

The village groups represented in these meetings include the Garden City Athletic Association (GCAA), the Garden City Centennials, the Garden City Rams Lacrosse programs and the Garden City School District. At the meetings, village staff and recreation commission members pledged to work with the affected organizations to help alleviate the inconveniences that will result from the field closings. They indicated their intention to improve program scheduling to enable more efficient use of other open space resources in the village and to seek out new alternatives for field play both within and outside the village.

At the conclusion of a meeting held with organization representatives July 15, representatives agreed that the proposal appeared to be the best way of achieving the desired results in the shortest amount of time. All of the attendees at the meeting voted to approve the field closings for the fall 2002 and spring 2003 seasons to allow the work to proceed. They also agreed to work cooperatively with each other and with village staff, the recreation commission and the school district to relocate the activities that would normally take place at St. Paul's.

The inconvenience will only be temporary but the improvements are expected to last and be enjoyed by village residents for many years to come. The open space program requires implementation of the following major improvements:

* drilling of a shallow irrigation well to supply the irrigation system

* installation of a new electric service

* restoration of turf grass

Perhaps the most crucial - and most noticeable portion of the improvement program will be the renovations to the turf grass. This portion of the plan is scheduled to begin in mid-August and includes the following steps:

Core aeration of the entire open space area: This involves the removal of "plugs" of turf and soil to enable water, fertilizer and oxygen to reach the turf's root zone. The turf will then be top-dressed with coarse sand and dragged with a mat to evenly distribute the sand. The top dressing of sand will facilitate water drainage through the turf.

Renovation of the high traffic areas and worn spots: This will be accomplished by rototilling these areas and then introducing screened topsoil and seed. The entire area will then be over-seeded using what the consultants refer to as a "slice/split" method. This method is expected to ensure the best potential for germination of the seed. Three applications of various fertilizers will then be made to promote growth and establishment of the turf, followed by one application of a broad leaf weed control product later this fall.

The Garden City Recreation Department requested the above article be published.