Eugene staff recommend no-infill artificial turf for Golden Gardens after TBL analysis; commissioners and residents call for more testing

City staff recommended an artificial turf surface without infill for phase 1 of the proposed Golden Gardens sports complex, saying that new turf products offer the playability and financial sustainability the city needs while allowing the project to protect much of the site as habitat.

The recommendation came after a 15-month study and a triple-bottom-line analysis presented to the Eugene Sustainability Commission. Carolyn Berg, Ferguson Natural Resource Planning Manager for the city of Eugene, said staff concluded that "going with artificial turf without infill is the best way to move forward" for phase 1, which staff described as access points, a minimum of three rectangular fields, parking and habitat buffers on a 223-acre site with roughly 168 acres proposed for protection and a 26-acre habitat preserve.

Why it matters: consultants and staff said artificial turf dramatically increases "playable hours" — accounting for weather, maintenance and school/work hours — which raises community access and revenue potential. Tracy Wunsford of Parametrix, the consultant that prepared the TBL, said…