Carson City to Convert Upper Fields at Centennial Park to Synthetic Turf; Drainage master plan in design

Jennifer Budge, Carson City Parks and Recreation director, told the Carson City Culture and Tourism Authority board on Sept. 8 that the Board of Supervisors on Aug. 21 awarded an approximately $5.5 million contract to Sprint Turf LLC to convert the park’s upper fields to synthetic turf. The project is expected to begin in early October, with an anticipated groundbreaking around Oct. 6 and completion scheduled for April, “dependent on weather this winter,” Budge said. The contract calls for replacement of all four fields, installation of a shock-absorbing underlayment pad, a retaining wall behind Field 7 to address long-standing drainage problems, perimeter trees and a windscreen on the south side, and a shade structure over part of the maintenance yard. Budge said staff hope to include additional items through change orders if there are no major surprises. Those potential additions include a sidewalk along the north field side, concessions at the stairs, painting foul poles, stubbed irrigation mainline for future landscaping, expanded wind screening, a frost-free hydrant in the maintenance yard, replacement of some chain-link mesh, and backstop improvements. She said staff plan to harvest sod from the existing fields for reuse elsewhere in the park system. The city is also working on a site-wide drainage master plan, currently at about 90% design, Budge said. Staff are awaiting clarifications from Paiute Pipeline and Southwest Gas about what can be built over or adjacent to pipeline infrastructure to ensure planned improvements meet utility requirements. Budge added that a park master plan is at 100% completion and will be released for consideration at the October Parks and Recreation Commission and Open Space Advisory Board meetings, with the Board of Supervisors review expected in November or December. She also noted recent completion of reconstruction of eight tennis courts using post-tension concrete and forthcoming installation of a replacement prefabricated hitting wall and a new tennis restroom. Board members asked whether conduit for scoreboards would be preserved; Budge confirmed power and conduit remain and said two scoreboards are deteriorated from sun exposure and might be repaired or replaced using contingency funds. The announcement followed public comment thanking the CTA for dedicating a portion of transient occupancy tax funds toward Centennial Park improvements.