At a work study session on Oct. 21 the Scottsdale City Council and staff discussed turf management across the city’s parks and athletic fields, the tradeoffs of overseeding for year‑round green grass, and water conservation programs.

Parks staff provided an overview of the city’s acreage and field inventory, noting 47 parks and roughly 442 acres of turf across Scottsdale, including sports complexes, multipurpose fields and the Civic Center. Staff explained bermudagrass is the city’s standard turf because it tolerates heat, recovers from flooding and supports year‑round multifunctional uses (sporting events, special events and event parking).

Why it matters: Council members asked the question residents frequently raise in fall and winter—“Is the grass dead?”—and staff responded that bermudagrass goes dormant (turns tan) but is not dead. The drought‑contexted briefing also tied decisions about overseeding to field access: overseeding with winter rye requires 4–6 weeks of restricted use for germination and establishment, which would limit fall sports and community events.

Key points from staff
- Bermudagrass strategy: The city uses Bermuda varieties suited to the Southwest. Staff said new varieties (for example Tahoma‑type Bermuda) can lengthen the green period, but no turf entirely removes the tradeoffs between year‑round green and field availability.
- Overseeding tradeoffs: Overseeding with ryegrass creates green winter turf but requires a 4–6 week establishment window during which high‑use fields would be restricted — a significant limitation for youth sports and community events that drive thousands of participants and hotel room nights in tournament season.
- Multi‑use and event parking: Staff said sports complexes are intentionally multi‑functional and are frequently used for tournaments and event parking (e.g., WestWorld and Barrett‑Jackson), and Bermuda’s durability supports those functions without an overseeding transition.
- Water conservation and governance: Scottsdale Water staff described expanded conservation measures — audits, rebate programs, a water‑smart customer portal and a drought management plan. The city is in Stage 1 of its drought plan (expanded messaging and voluntary savings); Stage 2 would require council action to adopt more restrictive measures.

Quotations from the meeting
- Nick Molinari, Parks and Recreation senior director: “Dormancy is not dead. During dormancy… it turns tan, and some we sometimes refer to it as naturally blonde. But the system and the plant remains alive.”
- Gretchen Baumgartner, Water Policy Manager: “When we talk about water usage and water conservation, we can't not talk about the Colorado River… 70 to 75% of our water comes from the Colorado River.”

Next steps and questions raised
Council members asked staff to continue exploring turf varieties and to prioritize smart irrigation upgrades and other measures that reduce runoff and improve water efficiency. Staff said they will continue to coordinate with Scottsdale Unified School District on shared field IGAs and to provide additional data on water savings tied to conservation programs and HOAs.

No formal council action was taken; the session was informational and intended to inform future policy and capital planning.