Agenda - Parks and Recreation Commission - 07/08/2021

Home

Commissioner Walker asked if the cost for the five applications includes the labor costs for the contractor. Parks & Assistant Public Works Superintendent Riverblood confirmed that cost includes the work of the contractor. He commented that he does not have staff with the appropriate licensing or knowledge to apply that product. He commented that these are the known costs, and the unknown costs would be if there is a savings in mowing time. Commissioner Sis asked if the contractor has a frequently asked questions brochure available related to application. Parks & Assistant Public Works Superintendent Riverblood confirmed that information is available along with the EPA determination on the safety of the product. Councilmember Musgrove asked who would be responsible for tracking this information. Parks & Assistant Public Works Superintendent Riverblood replied that he, the Parks Supervisor, and the Lead Person will monitor and track that data. Commissioner Loss asked if both halves would be treated if the experiment is successful. Parks & Assistant Public Works Superintendent Riverblood replied that they will review the data, any cost savings, and then determine the appropriate application for the product, whether it is park specific or more appropriate for different soil types. Commissioner Walker commented that regulators are also helpful in areas that are hard to mow such as areas around trees and buildings, which could provide additional cost and time savings. Parks & Assistant Public Works Superintendent Riverblood agreed that a lot of time is spent weed whipping around certain elements because of cultural practices. He stated that they are continuing to work on policies that help to guide the use of time and resources. He commented that they use seasonal workers for mowing and that can cause difficulties for establishing and following those processes. He stated that this work will help to create the policies that provide that guidance for seasonal workers. Commissioner Barten commented that he read all 30 pages of the Rivers' Bend Park management plan today and was impressed and excited. He advocated for more of that as much as possible system wide and to include areas mentioned by Commissioner Walker, around trees and buildings. He commented that PGR's are a huge step forward environmentally, but he still thinks that the ultimate goal would be to have zero environmental impact and would like the group to keep that in mind. He agreed that PGR's can be a big step forward but still wanted the City and Commission to continue to look for alternate management practices. He believed that community members should switch to, or add, clover to their yard as it can crowd out noxious weeds and uses less water. He commented that PGR use is a net positive but wants to continue to move towards the ultimate goal. Park and Recreation Commission/April 8, 2021 Page 3 of 5