Grass use leads to Newport turf battle

June Casagrande

A question of when Little League teams can play at Bonita Canyon

Sports Park has evolved into a literal turf battle.

The city’s Parks, Beaches and Recreation Commission next month

will try to get to the root of an issue about grass at the new sports

complex. At their February meeting, commissioners will review the

city’s decision to use a blend of three grasses that critics say are

unnecessarily delaying opening the park’s fields.

Representatives of Newport Beach Little League requested the

review Tuesday night during the commission’s discussion on extending

hours of lighting at several city parks.

Both moves result directly from an ever-growing problem of too

many sports teams and not enough fields on which to play.

Contractors developing the $7-million Bonita Canyon Sports Park

say that the types of grass planted there need until summer to take

root. Little League leaders say their teams shouldn’t have to wait

that long to play.

Consulting their own turf experts, league representatives say that

waiting for the grass to fully take root before letting teams play

there won’t make any difference.

“In our view, they planted the wrong grass for sports play,” said

John Della Grotta, a board member for the league, who said that the

fescue grass mixed in with Bermuda grass at the new park is not

conducive to baseball because of its long blades. “We believe they

will have to do remedial work there no matter what.”

But city officials stand by their contractors’ choices. Further,

they point out, grass isn’t the only reason that sports teams are not

yet allowed to play there. The city has not yet taken legal

possession of the park from the contractor; thus city officials don’t

yet have the right to make the fields available, they say.

“We sympathize with the youth sports groups. We know they need

places to play. That’s one of the reasons we extended the lighting,”

said Marie Knight of the city’s Parks and Senior Services Department.

“There’s so much that goes into management of turf and we want to

make sure we preserve the city’s investment. But there are more

issues than just grass.”

Parks commissioners on Tuesday approved the request of two sports

groups to extend lighting at four parks. Lighting hours at Lincoln

Athletic Center’s fields 1 and 2 will be extended to 9:45 p.m.

Fridays between Feb. 7 and June 22, and to 7 p.m. Saturdays from Feb.

15 through April 5. The Newport Riptide youth sports organization

will be asked for longer lighting hours for its upcoming Pacific

Girls Fast Pitch Softball Triple Crown Tournament. Lights will stay

on until 9 p.m. Feb. 8 and until 8 p.m. Feb. 9 at Bonita Creek,

Arroyo and Grant Howald parks.

The Newport Harbor Baseball Assn.’s request for portable lights at

Mariners Park was postponed to give association members time to meet

with neighbors of the park. Commissioners will consider whether to

allow portable lights there until 9 p.m. on various days between Feb.

10 and June 15.

Commissioners will consider that and the Bonita Canyon Sports Park

matter at their next meeting.

* JUNE CASAGRANDE covers Newport Beach and John Wayne Airport.

She may be reached at (949) 574-4232 or by e-mail at

[email protected].