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Commissioners approve topsoil purchase amid debate over flooded athletic fields
Summary
The commission approved a $65,142.80 topsoil purchase for athletic-field renovations after commissioners raised complaints that newly renovated fields are flooding; staff blamed an irrigation leak and nonindustrial piping for the failures and said repairs will follow the season.
The Cooper City Commission on May 27 approved a $65,142.80 purchase of topsoil tied to athletic-field renovations but paused to debate ongoing flooding problems at recently renovated fields.
Parks and recreation requested authorization to buy topsoil from Gulf Agronomic & Supply under contract SIS2025-7 to support athletic-field work. The item was pulled from the consent agenda by Commissioner Lisa Mallozzi, who said she was receiving complaints that Field 1 (a baseball field) and others that had been recently redone are now flooding.
"We just redid a field that never flooded, and now it floods," Mallozzi said, describing photographs and resident complaints. Commissioner Mallozzi pressed staff for the root cause and whether additional spending was throwing "good money after bad."
Public-works staff and Public Works Director Josh (first name only in the record) told the commission the immediate cause is an underground irrigation leak that cannot be repaired during the baseball season because it would disrupt play. The director said the irrigation lines had been installed using a flexible, nonindustrial "funny pipe" rather than heavier-duty commercial pipe; over time the flexible lines have developed pinhole leaks, he said.
"There is some type of leak underground that we need to dig up and correct, but we can't do that in the middle of their season," a public-works speaker said. He added that staff will correct the issue after the season ends (the season has been extended through Father's Day).
Commissioner Mallozzi said the city should consider different management for fields and asked when the original sprinkler pipes were installed; the director replied the original pipes predated his tenure. Commissioner Mallozzi said she would prefer not to approve additional purchases until the flooding issue is fully resolved.
After discussion, the commission voted on the topsoil purchase. The motion passed despite Mallozzi's objections; the official vote on the record showed Mallozzi voting no and the remaining voting members voting yes.
Staff said repairs to the irrigation system will proceed after the current season ends, and that the topsoil purchase is related to scheduled renovations and not the immediate irrigation repairs.
