New Turf at Salt Lake Park

by Jesus Hernandez

Ever wonder what’s new in Salt Lake Park located at 3401 Florence Avenue? The park had a recent addition, thanks to the U.S Soccer Foundation which granted the city $25,000 for a new soccer turf field. “We are very excited for the opportunity to improve our soccer fields,” said Josette Espinosa, Huntington Park Director of Parks and Recreation.

Although the total cost is approximately $874,000, our neighboring city, Vernon, donated about $164,000. The majority of Vernon residents, and employees that use this facility, are pleased with this act of kindness. A $250,000 county park grant was also given to the city. This is their tenth grant, which adds up to $450,000 as a part of the “Safe Places to Play” according to the U.S Soccer Foundation spokesman. They have distributed more than $60 million dollars in funding to create parks and programs across the States since the founding of the organization in 1994.

According to The Wave Los Angeles, Ed Foster Simeon, president and CEO of the U.S Soccer Foundation expressed, “Our goal at the U.S Soccer Foundation is to help create safe places to play in communities nationwide.” Salt Lake Park’s soccer field will no longer be a dirt field. Thanks to these grants, the park will have major upgrades such as turf grass, improved lights, and new playground equipment.

Having turf fields can help resolve California’s recent drought crisis. This drought has affected everyone in the community in someway, maybe not physically, but it sure hit parents’ pockets by increasing fruit and vegetable prices due to the lack of water in the fields. In a similar way the city spends more money on watering a natural grass field. Around 50,000 gallons of water are used per week to water natural grass fields during its growing season. Using turf fields will reduce the maintenance cost by some estimates from $35k to $5k per year, said Lindsey Barton, MomsTeam.com senior editor. Synthetic fields are pesticide-free unlike natural grass that needs fertilizers and pesticides. In addition, having turf fields can also increase its playability. When you play on a natural grass field you can expect uneven gras spots that can cause problems when an athlete trips on them.

In other words, turf fields, like the Marquez football field, can help save water, save money, and help the community.

This article was originally published in the school newspaper, The Gladiator: Volume 3 Issue 1.

#local