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North Las Vegas to reduce turf across parks; officials say trees will be protected
Summary
City staff reported a turf-conversion program affecting 13 parks and two streetscapes that will remove an estimated 250,000+ sq ft of turf, seek more than $300,000 in rebates, and save about 14 million gallons of water per year; staff said more turf will be retained after SNWA discussions and irrigation will be increased near trees.
Erin Reiswerg, park project manager, briefed the advisory board on the citywide turf-conversion project and the expected water savings and rebates. "It's estimated that over 250,000 square feet will be removed with this project," Reiswerg said, and she reported the city expects "more than $300,000 back in rebates" from SNWA programs if the plan proceeds as anticipated. Reiswerg added estimated annual water savings of "almost 14,000,000 gallons of water saved per year," which she compared to about 20 Olympic-size pools.
Board member Sandra Ward raised recent media reports questioning whether turf conversions were harming trees in other parts of the valley. Reiswerg said the city has worked directly with SNWA to identify where turf should be removed and where it can remain, and that the current plan retains more turf in parks than earlier versions. "So I would say it has been successful in that...we are going to keep a lot more turf than we did," she said. Reiswerg said turf removals will concentrate on hardscape-adjacent and nonfunctional turf—particularly streetscapes—while parks have more leeway, and that irrigation for trees will be increased and some tree species replaced where necessary.
Board members asked for clarifications about which areas are affected; Reiswerg said the stricter removals apply to streetscapes along Camino El Dorado and Scott Robinson Boulevard, while parks such as Sea Strand and El Dorado will retain more turf where feasible. She noted snows/ slopes and medians are specific areas SNWA targets for turf reduction. The board requested future agenda items with renderings and more detailed plans for individual project sites such as Cheyenne Sports Complex and Kyle Ranch Phase 6.
