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Santa Rosa council authorizes design‑build for parks, approves synthetic turf for MLK Park with environmental safeguards
Summary
After months of community engagement and a technical review of natural versus synthetic turf, the council authorized a design‑build procurement for three projects and approved a turf alternative for Martin Luther King Jr. Neighborhood Park, asking staff to require PFAS‑free material options, avoid crumb‑rubber infill, and return with procurement language and funding details.
The Santa Rosa City Council authorized city staff to pursue a design‑build procurement strategy for three capital projects — Oakmont pavement maintenance, the Martin Luther King Jr. Neighborhood Park sports field, and Bear Park natural play area — and approved moving forward with a synthetic‑turf alternative for the MLK sports field with environmental guardrails.
Dan Hennessy, director of transportation and public works, explained the rationale for a design‑build approach: combining design and construction under a single contract can accelerate delivery, produce a guaranteed maximum price, and reduce claims and change orders. Hennessy reviewed the trade‑offs between natural turf and modern turf alternatives: synthetic surfaces allow two to three times more hours of play, reduce irrigation needs and fertilizer run‑off, and offer predictable playability during wet weather, but they cost more up front, have a 10‑year replacement cycle, and may increase surface temperatures during hot weather.
Hennessy described mitigation options staff will require in procurement documents — for example, specifying PFAS‑free systems, avoiding crumb‑rubber infill, and designing runoff capture systems to treat and divert any field drainage before it reaches the city storm system. He said vendors and some manufacturers will take back end‑of‑life turf for reuse or recycling, and the city has discussed disposal pathways with Recology.
Public commenters emphasized demand from youth leagues and neighborhood safety. Tommy Isaacson, a youth‑soccer league board member and longtime Santa Rosa police officer, urged the council to install lighted, all‑weather turf fields to provide reliable, supervised activity for local youth. Neighbors raised environmental and heat‑island concerns; several council members and staff said they had the same questions and wanted strong procurement language.
After questions and comments, Council Member McDonald moved and the council voted to authorize the design‑build procurement and to proceed with a turf alternative at MLK Park, with direction that staff include environmental and health safeguards (PFAS‑free materials, no crumb‑rubber infill, runoff treatment, and warranty/performance requirements) and return with a funding plan and final RFP language for Council approval. The vote was 5‑0 (Mayor Stapp and Council Member Fleming absent).
Staff said they will present a funding resolution and finalized procurement documents in May to authorize the contract award once the RFP and evaluation criteria are complete. The public works department noted ongoing maintenance and lifecycle‑replacement costs will be addressed through capital funds and future operating budgets.
