Recommendation: That council provide direction to staff on developing a formal policy for providing snow removal service on artificial turf fields.

Transcription

1 Copuitlam For Committee January 25,2007 Our File: /000/ Doc #: vl To: From: Subject: For: City Manager General Manager Leisure Parks Service Snow Removal from Artificial Turf Fields Committee of the Whole Recommendation: That council provide direction to staff on developing a formal policy for providing snow removal service on artificial turf fields. That should Council wish staff to develop a formal policy for providing snow removal services on artificial fields that council direct staff to consult with the Coquitlam Field Sport Association (CFSA) and that their input regarding proposed guidelines be included in the development of a policy. Background: The significant number and duration of snow events and below freezing temperatures experienced since November 2006, has increased the number of days that the city's inventory of natural grass and artificial turf fields are typically unavailable for play. Existing city policy states that sport fields are closed to play if covered with snow, ice or standing water. Staff have received a number of requests from our field sport users to attempt removal of snow at Charles Best Field in order to shorten the period of time between a snowfall event and the field being safe and available for play. Staff have responded to these requests by allocating resources to Charles Best Field after public safety snow and ice removal at public buildings, parking lots and walkways have been completed. (As required by City of Coquitlam Boulevard Maintenance Bylaw No. 3214). There are tangible customer service benefits that result by maximizing the number of days that our fields are available for play. However there are a number of technical and weather related factors associated with removing snow from artificial turf that should be considered in determining an appropriate service level policy. The size of Charles Best Field (1.9 acres) City of Coquitlam

2 Page 2 January 25, 2007 requires that equipment be utilized for removing snow. The synthetic fibers and sand/ rubber infill composition are designed for foot traffic. Each time that equipment is used on the field the potential for compaction, lifting of seams, displacement of crumb rubber and accelerated wear on the turf fibers occurs. Factors such as depth of snow, moisture content, ground and air temperature pose logistical challenges and make it difficult to accurately forecast the budget required to provide a consistent level of service. Some complaints have been received by member of the public stating that staff resources being used for snow removal at Charles Best should be diverted to clearing of snow on residential streets. Staff have drafted a policy discussion paper, (Attachment # l) which outline the advantages of snow removal, the technical and weather related challenges, the practices of neighboring municipalities and some proposed guidelines for Council consideration. (Refer to attachment #i). The purpose of this report is to seek Council direction on some proposed guidelines for snow removal as outlined on page 5 of the policy discussion paper. If Council wish staff to develop a formal policy on snow removal procedures on artificial fields, staff propose that the Coquitlam Field Sports Association be consulted and that their input be included in the development of a policy. Edie Doepker Att File #: /000/ Doc #: V1

3 Attachment #1 CoQuitlam Memo January 25, 2007 Our File: /03-001/1 Doc#: V1 To: From: General Manager of Leisure & Park Services Park Operations Manager Subject: Snow Removal from Artificial Turf Fields - Policy Discussion When the artificial turf field at Charles Best was completed in the fall of 2004 it was expected to ensure that soccer could be played throughout the year in most weather conditions. It soon became clear th'at the exception to this rule is snow, frost or ice which makes the field unplayable from a safety perspective. Coquitlam's soccer community is very interested in avoiding any field closures at Charles Best and has insisted that Park Operations Staff explore options for snow removal. The field manufacturer does consider ploughing snow to be an acceptable maintenance procedure but doesn't address the question of suitable equipment required to avoid damaging the carpet or excessively compacting the fill material Parks Staff initially took the position that the potential damage to the carpet combined with the additional unanticipated expense outweighed the benefit of keeping the field open. This position was challenged by the user groups after the first snow storms of the 2005/2006 winter when the Port Moody artificial fields were ploughed and available for play while Charles Best was under a layer of snow that took weeks to melt naturally. Exacerbating the problem is the fact that Charles Best is in a shadow during the winter months so that the snow on that field was the last to melt of any area in the whole municipality. When the tournament site is completed in Town Centre Park there will be increasing need for a coherent policy outlining Coquitlam's position on snow removal. Park Operations Staff is seeking direction in the development of a policy that clearly delineates the conditions - if any - under which we remove snow and clarifies the criteria that will be factors in any decision. There have been 2 recent major snow events and we have experimented with various methods of snow removal with limited success. City of Coquitlam

4 Page 2 January 25, 2007 The challenges of snow removal are: > No two snow events are the same. When snow falls after a period of freezing rain or a freeze-thaw cycle it adheres to the carpet fiber and is very hard to plough. When the snow is wet it becomes very heavy which increases the likelihood that the tractor tires will damage the field. > Even though the plough blade is shielded with PVC pipe to protect against snagging the carpet, we haven't been able to avoid catching and lifting seams. > Ploughing inevitably displaces crumb rubber and can result in a wavy playing surface that is very hard to rectify and requires re-grooming to redistribute the crumb. Excessive grooming is a recognized factor in shortening the lifespan of an artificial field. > Park Operations has the responsibility of snow and ice control for all civic facilities, parks, parking lots, sidewalks and multi-purpose pathways. Parks Staff has an established priority snow and ice response schedule developed to ensure public safety at all of the City of Coquitlam maintained facilities, parks and boulevard locations. Snow and ice response is based on the following priorities: 1) City of Coquitlam Public Facilities 2) Fire Halls 3) Park Locations adjacent to schools 4) Boulevard locations adjacent to schools 5) Park locations not adjacent to schools 6) Boulevard locations not adjacent to schools Under this policy, ploughing a sports field would be our lowest priority which means that there will be considerable delay in getting to the fields, depending on the severity of the storm. During this delay, students from the adjacent high school and members of the public looking to enjoy the snow get on the field and cause compaction that complicates the removal process. We also often experience daytime temperatures warm enough to initiate snow melt followed by freezing weather overnight. This creates the exact scenario where ice sticking to the carpet makes ploughing impossible. The only way to address this problem would be to designate equipment and staff to deal with snow removal on fields as a first priority. This approach is not recommended. File #: /03-001/1 Doc #: V1

5 Pages 5, 2007 > The use of heavy ploughs on the field creates compaction but smaller units aren't capable of moving snow in a timely fashion. Heavy snow falls mean that the tractors have to take more passes across the field and tire-spin caused by heavy loads displaces more crumb rubber. Cold weather means lighter snow ideal for snow blowers. We currently only have small snow blowers and would have to develop a way to catch the blown snow in a trailer or truck for transport off site. > Even after the snow has been substantially removed we are left with a skim of snow or ice on the surface of the carpet that must wait for warmer temperatures to melt. There is no ice-melt product that has been approved for use on artificial turf fields and we know of no equipment that could be used to safely melt the remaining snow or ite. > There is some risk of negative optics-we did get a couple of calls from irate citizens who felt that the manpower working on Charles Best should be diverted to supplement the Engineering Operations crews clearing residential streets. This isn't really an option since Parks' equipment isn't appropriately sized for that work. > The cost of removing the snow is hard to anticipate since our winters seem to be very variable and the circumstances around each snow fall is different from the last. We tracked costs and found that this last snow event took 50 man hours which translates into approximately $2,500 in labor and equipment charges. > (Photos of snow removal operations and displaced crumb rubber are provided in Appendix A.) The advantages of snow removal are: > By responding positively to user requests to at least attempt to remove snow we are demonstrating our commitment to excellent customer service. The user groups - particularly the soccer clubs - were very happy to see us making the effort. This goes a long way towards creating a more positive and trusting relationship. > Maximizing the number of days that the artificial turf field is playable also maximizes the community's return on investment. These fields are very expensive to build and it is seen to be a waste of that money for them to stand idle unnecessarily. File #: /03-001/1 Doc #: V1

6 Page 4 January 25, 20C? > Removing snow may not make the field immediately playable but it drastically shortens the time the field is out of service by as much as two or three weeks. > The more games and practices that can be held on artificial turf fields the more we can safe guard the natural turf fields that are used jointly by baseball and soccer. Traditionally, damage done during the winter soccer season has meant that the ball season has been negatively impacted. > Removing snow can be seen to be aligned with our corporate goal of encouraging and facilitating physical activity, especially amongyouth. > By developing innovative strategies for coping with snowfall we will enhance our reputation as regional leaders in service delivery. If we pursue a policy of removing snow whenever possible, we will be 'forced' to explore all of the options and stay a breast of any industry advancements. > We will be able to be confident about coping with adverse weather events when the future tournament site is fully utilized if we have a workable plan in place for dealing with snow. If we establish a 'no plough' policy it would be very problematic if large tournaments were scheduled from November to March when there is always the possibility of freak snowstorms. What are our neighbors doing? Staff conducted an informal survey of other lower mainland municipalities to find out what their policies are regarding snow removal from artificial turf fields and the results are listed below. It should be noted that the pressure from field users in Coquitlam around this issue appears to be substantially more intense than is the case in these other cities. Port Moody Port Coquitlam Burnaby New Westminster Ploughs once other priority snow is complete No snow removal No snow removal No snow removal removal File#: /03-001/1 Doc#: V1

7 Pages January 25, 2007 Surrey Township of Langley District of Maple Ridge Ploughs once other priority snow removal is complete No snow removal No snow removal except for snowmen or forts removal of Development of a policy and guidelines Development of a snow policy would need to involve discussion with the user groups under the auspices of the Coquitlam Field Sport Association. This forum would ensure that all of the proponents reached a common understanding of the decision making criteria and the challenges inherent in this type of work. No matter what the final policy says, staff will be responsible for making the final decision and applying the criteria. Some proposed guidelines for discussion: - Snow removal to occur once other public safety priority snow removal is complete. Removal to occur after accumulations of snow greater than 5 cm coupled with forecasted weather conditions that will not allow for natural melting of snow accumulations within 48 hours - Accumulations between 5cm - 10 cm to be removed with ride-on mower(s) equipped with front mount ploughs. Snow ploughs are to be equipped with protective guards installed on snow plough blades to safeguard the artificial turf field Accumulations greater than 10cm to be removed by a combination of rideon mowers equipped with ploughs and a light utility tractor equipped with snow plough with protective guards installed on snow plough Snow removal operations will cease if damage occurs to artificial field surface or seams Snow removal is to be undertaken where possible during regular working hours unless forecasted weather conditions indicate the need to work beyond regular working hours. File #: /03-001/1 Doc #: V1

8 Page6 January 25, 2007 Snow removal may not proceed if ice has formed and is causing the snow to stick to the carpet through either extensive compaction or fluctuating temperatures. Kathleen Reinheimer File* /03-001/1 Doc#: vl

9 Snow Removal - Charles Best Sports Field APPENDIX A

10 Displaced Crumb Rubber - Charles Best Sports Field APPENDIX A