Mount Pleasant staff propose in-house turf care, GPS field liner and market layout changes

Parks and Recreation staff described operational proposals July 22 that aim to reduce contractor costs and increase staff efficiency, including bringing athletic-field spraying in-house and leasing a GPS-guided field-lining machine.

Staff said full-time park employees already include certified pesticide sprayers and that moving spray work in-house would let the department "spray when we feel the need" rather than wait for a contractor. The presenter said spray work would be limited largely to athletic fields and named the department's softball and baseball fields at Island Park, Pickens and Yost, and the soccer fields at Sunnyside.

The department also described a GPS field-lining machine (described in the meeting as a "turf tank") that uses coordinates to paint field lines. Staff said the equipment could let a single worker mow and stripe fields in sequence, reducing the two-person crew currently needed for lining. The presenter said these field-lining machines are commonly leased, which transfers maintenance responsibilities to the vendor and makes the cost an annually recurring line item rather than a large capital outlay.

Budget timing: staff said they have submitted an initial budget to the city manager and the finance department and that the budget will be reviewed "at the end of this month or the beginning of next month, depending on how that falls on the schedule." Staff also said equipment-sharing options with other departments and potentially with local schools will be discussed during the budget process.

Staff reviewed recent and upcoming events. They said the department saw strong turnout for a rescheduled rubber-duck race and ran the Home Builders Car Show in conjunction with the farmers market. Staff described an adjusted farmers market layout that keeps vendors on the grass line (rather than on blacktop) so food vendors do not have items melting on asphalt; the revised layout closes only small sections of roadway along the parking lot (on Broadway and Main) rather than the entire parking lot to avoid making the market look empty.

The presenter also listed upcoming events and dates included on the department handout: an artist battle on Broadway in August, Market for the Arts on Aug. 22, and a Sept. 19 event being expanded with food trucks to raise funds for a POW/MIA wall; the POW/MIA group has an account at the Mount Pleasant Community Foundation, and staff said the city tracks deposits and withdrawals so the city is part of the fundraising conversation. Staff also said the department will hold "Movies by Moonlight" at Town Center rather than City Hall.

Staff told the commission that two summer concerts (referred to as Max and Emily) were not listed on the handout because the organizers had not yet submitted a special-event application; staff said they had spoken with the organizers and expected to receive the application soon. A commission member asked about dusk time on Aug. 23; staff offered an estimate of about 8:47 p.m.

No formal action was taken on these operational proposals during the meeting; staff said the items will be considered during the upcoming budget process.