Mixed reaction to Rawtenstall town centre plan

11:30am Friday 14th March 2014 in News

OPINION is divided on plans for the future of Rawtenstall town centre following a public consultation on the masterplan.

Rossendale Together Barnfield Partnership unveiled initial ideas for the redevelopment, including a town square, a new bus station and grass-covered roofs.

Council leader Alyson Barnes said she was very happy with the turnout for the two-day consultation at Longholme Methodist Church.

She said: It was fantastic to see so many people taking the opportunity to look at the plans and discuss the ideas with the architectural team.

I think the plans demonstrate that we really mean business and are committed to doing whats right for Rossendale.

The plans have been put forward by the board, comprised of the council, development partners Barnfield, Together Housing and designers Day Architectural.

However the proposals were criticised by Rossendale MP Jake Berry, who said: There were some interesting ideas, with what appeared to be a lot of steel, glass and green roofs.

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Mixed reaction to Rawtenstall town centre plan

LAKELAND, Fla. -- Long before the first snowflake fell in Michigan this winter, the Tigers had planned to re-sod the playing surface at Comerica Park for the first time since 2007. Now that Detroit is on the verge of breaking its record snowfall for a winter season, having just witnessed eight more inches fall on Wednesday, the question is whether the new grass will be in the ground before Opening Day on March 31.

The answer from the Tigers is yes. It won't be as easy as head groundskeeper Heather Nabozny and her crew would've liked it, but it'll happen.

"There will be a playing field on Opening Day," Tigers vice president of communications Ron Colangelo said Thursday.

The old sod was removed ahead of the Hockeytown Winter Festival in December, which brought outdoor hockey to the park over the holidays. Nabozny said a couple of weeks later that the new sod would be installed in March, and that they could do so even if the spring thaw hadn't arrived yet. They would have to do so in segments, rather than all at once.

The plan goes into place next week when the sod arrives from Colorado. The re-sodding is scheduled to begin next Thursday and last three days. That will give the field a little over a week to take root before Opening Day.

As for Thursday evening, the forecast for next weekend in Detroit calls for temperatures in the low 40s.

LAKELAND, Fla. -- Don Kelly spent years of his Tigers tenure with the reputation as a Jim Leyland favorite. It's a new era of leadership in Detroit these days, but Kelly seems to be making some of the same impressions on new manager Brad Ausmus.

"The thing I didn't know about Don Kelly is, one, he's got some baseball savvy to him," Ausmus said Thursday. "He knows what he's doing on the bases. We talked about his versatility, but I don't know that I realized what type of outfielder he really was and what type of arm he had.

"I'm certainly learning things about Don Kelly that I didn't know. I knew he was a valuable utility guy that you could put in many spots with a left-handed bat, but so far he's been much better than my initial thoughts or projections were. And he's a great guy, great teammate to boot. They don't really have ratings that put a number of that."

Whether those impressions earn Kelly a share of the left-field mix at season's open remains to be seen. As Ausmus looks for a left-handed hitter to plug into left field with Andy Dirks out until June, that insight is worth noting. It doesn't mean Kelly will comprise the lefty half of the left-field platoon, but if the Tigers end up filling Dirks' absence from within, Kelly looks bound to get some starts.

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Snow not helping, but Comerica to be re-sodded

Fendt Farmer 307 LS Turbomatik mowing grass sod | 2014 | The Netherlands.
This Fendt Farmer 307 LS Turbomatik is from Van Hierden grass sod nursery in Uddel in The Netherlands. His son is here mowing the new grass sods. Deze Fendt ...

By: Jan van den Hardenberg

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Fendt Farmer 307 LS Turbomatik mowing grass sod | 2014 | The Netherlands. - Video

The art can stay, but the large parties have to go.

After this summer, there will be no more revelers treading on the grass at Wheeler Park during multi-day festivals. The city of Flagstaff believes the downtown lawn cant handle the abuse, and it will close most of Wheeler Park for July and August this year to replant sod.

That park was not designed as an event facility, and thats why we have issues with the number of people in there, and we have turf damage, said City of Flagstaff Parks Manager Steve Zimmerman. We dont have this going on at any of our other parks.

Zimmerman said that maintenance staff realized they werent giving the grass three weeks of rest between multi-day events, as specified in the parks management plan. And his office has the power to deny permits for maintenance reasons, he said.

City officials decided to approach Pride in the Pines and Hullabaloo to tell them they could either move their festivals this year or move them next year. But the events with more seniority and less traffic will be allowed to stay. That includes Art in the Park on Labor Day and the Fourth of July, as well as other one-day events.

Whats going to happen is after this season, theyre doing this major rework of Wheeler because all the grass is dying, said City of Flagstaff Public Works Section Head Mike OConnor.

He added that Wheeler Park will be closed for maintenance from July 7 to Aug. 29. During that time, a large section of grass will be fenced and off-limits to everyone, including all the other weekend events planned throughout the summer. OConnor said the replanting was happening during those months to take advantage of Flagstaffs wet season.

My goal is to maintain the turf in that park, Zimmerman said. For some of these multi-day events, Ive got to shut off the water. It causes damage to the park. In trying to get that park to look better, we decided to ask two groups to leave and in that process, knowing we cant just tell them Get out of here, we did give them some alternative sites.

WHEELER PARK COSTLY

But Kathryn Jim, president of Northern Arizona Pride Association, said Pride in the Pines was ready to move anyway and made the choice themselves, approaching the city first they werent pushed out. Pride took a big hit on last years festival and was debating whether they would continue their event into its 18th year.

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Pride, Hullabaloo booted from Wheeler Park to protect the grass

DETROIT -

Comerica Park in downtown Detroit hosted hockey in January, but now the field is being prepared for a full season of baseball.

Because of the placement of a hockey rink on the surface of the field, all of the sod in the stadium was taken out. Now it is going to be replaced .

This might be one of those projects with the admonition "don't try this at home."

Mike Thompson runs Hillcrest Sod Farm in Romulus. He says this is not the time of the year for a homeowner to be thinking about sod replacement.

"With the temperatures going down to the 20s, we think we will get another freeze again, we're not doing anything. Nobody in Michigan is doing anything right now," Thompson said.

But crews at Comerica Park will be doing something. Starting next week, 103,000 square feet of Kentucky Blue Grass will be shipped in from Colorado to re-sod the baseball field.

Thompson sees that installation as a challenge.

"You know that plant really likes warm weather. So it's definitely going to be challenging, so maybe something I wouldn't try to pull off," he said.

Installation of the new sod at Comerica Park is due to begin next Tuesday and take about two or three days to complete.

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Comerica Park set to get all new grass

Water experts offer conservation tips

Planting native grasses is one way to reduce consumption

By CHRISTINE COLBERT

For Wood River Valley residents gearing up to feel a potential pinch in water use this summer, there are ways to soften the effects of drought and conjunctive water management. Several ideas were offered Friday at a water seminar hosted by the Wood River Land Trust, The Nature Conservancy and University of Idaho Extension at the Community Campus in Hailey. One of the days workshops addressed the topic of drought-tolerant lawns, and how to install them correctly. This process involves eradicating existing bluegrass species and replanting a native mix that can tolerate drier conditions. Patti Lousen, project coordinator at the Land Trust, presented a video detailing some of the ways in which homeowners can remove their sod (the video can be viewed on the organizations website). There is a range of methods to consider when starting the conversion process. Residents can choose to tarp their lawn for an entire summer; cut their grass short and cover it with layers of wet newspaper; cut and flip the sod; or completely remove the existing sod and bring in new soil. Lousen also discussed the use of Roundup to kill off an existing lawn. [At WRLT] we chose to kill it with Roundup and then reseed it, said Lousen. The chemical is absorbed quickly by the grass, and breaks down quickly. It often takes several applications in order to completely eradicate the existing bluegrass. For more information about killing off water-dependent bluegrass, the organization has made educational material available on its Trout Friendly Lawns webpage. Restoration ecologist Steve Paulsen, from Conservation Seeding and Restoration Inc., also gave a how-to in replacing existing Kentucky bluegrass lawns with drought-tolerant grass. Advocating native restoration, Paulsen spoke about the importance of using a mix of locally native drought-tolerant grass seed, on soil that is completely devoid of any bluegrass species. Overall, Paulsen stressed the importance of making sure the unwanted grass is eradicated completely. Kill it dead, or remove it, Paulsen said, since any leftover bluegrass will essentially return and take over newly planted native species. Once a clean slate is achieved, the soil can be planted with a native mix, via seeding or planting of new sod. Those in the market for native grass seed should make sure they are buying a mix with a high percentage of live seed, and that the species is regionally based, he said. The process of switching to a new, drought-tolerant lawn takes time, patience and investment, the speakers said. A careful watering regime is necessary in the first few weeks. But the benefits of making the conversion can be many. Native lawns can require up to 50 percent less water to maintain and less mowing, rewarding homeowners with time and money. Less vegetative material deposited in landfills and significantly less wasted water are two other reasons Paulsen identified. As a society, there are lots of reasons to engage this, he said. The seminar also offered a workshop regarding irrigation systems. Irrigation auditor Kodi Farnsworth presented a variety of techniques that can save homeowners from overwatering their property anywhere from 20 to 60 percent. One of these techniques involves employing state-of-the-art irrigation tools such as sensors and controllers that can monitor the exact needs of the homeowners plants and soil. Knowing the existing type of soil and plant root depth are important factors to be aware of when watering. Over-saturation can cause disease among plants, Farnsworth said. When done properly, you can cut water usage significantly, he said. Residents can also decrease their water use by updating sprinkler heads, and making sure they achieve uniform water distribution. Poor uniformity leads to longer run times, Farnsworth said. Sprinkler type, spacing, flow rate and water pressure are among some of the key factors in making an irrigation system operate correctly, for maximum water efficiency and health of the landscape, he said. For homeowners interested in finding out how efficient their system currently is, scheduling an irrigation audit can help them discover how to better care for their landscaping. Depending on the size of the property and other controlling factors, the cost of revamping ones irrigation system can be high. Those with less acreage may not notice the return in their pocketbook for several years. But sometimes doing the right thing is doing the right thing, Farnsworth said.

Groundwater model on schedule Almost a year after it was begun, a model of groundwater flow in the Wood River basin is on schedule to be completed by the end of 2015, Idaho Department of Water Resources project director Sean Vincent told people attending a water seminar in Hailey on Friday. Tim Luke, water compliance bureau chief for the Idaho Department of Water Resources, said the groundwater flow model will help determine the extent of injury suffered by a surface water-rights holder in the event of a call on a groundwater user. The degree of injury helps to determine whether the call is justified. Jim Bartolino, a hydrologist at the U.S. Geological Surveys Idaho Water Science Center in Boise, said the Wood River aquifer is composed of sand, gravel and clay, and sits on top of basalt bedrock. It is 20-30 feet deep near the headwaters of the river, about 100 feet deep near Ketchum and about 350 feet deep under the Bellevue Triangle. Most of the aquifer is interconnectedthats called the unconfined part. But a separate part, the confined area of the aquifer, sits deeper down and is under pressure; water in wells drilled into that section rise to the level of the highest point in the aquifer, not to the level of the surrounding water. Most of the aquifer discharges into Silver Creek, though some flows into the Big Wood River in the vicinity of Stanton Crossing. Wells suck water out of a cone-shaped area that deepens and widens as more water is pumped out. With enough pumping, the wells can drain water from the river itself. Every well in the Wood River Valley is affecting surface water to some degree, Bartolino said.

-Greg Moore

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Water experts offer conservation tips

Del Mar's new turf course will begin getting installed with a brand new shade of green on March 17, St. Patrick's Day.

DEL MAR Del Mar is taking the wearin of the green to a new level on St. Patricks Day.

Del Mar Thoroughbred Club officials confirmed this week that the racetracks new turf will arrive from the Coachella Valley on St. Patricks Day, March 17, and that turf and landscape superintendent Leif Dickinson will oversee the placing of the new grass shortly after it hits the beach.

Last weekends rain cost Dickinson and his crew three days of work, but he told Del Mar media director Mac McBride that there was an allowance in the schedule for that sort of thing, so it wasnt a big kink in the process.

McBride said the new turf will be hauled from Coachella Valley by truck and arrive at Del Mar at 6 a.m. He said crews will begin laying down the sod about an hour later.

Joe Harper, Del Mars president and CEO, said recently that the main Polytrack will be torn out after the 2014 racing season to make way for a return to the original dirt surface. Del Mar is the only track in Southern California with a synthetic surface now that Hollywood Park has closed and Santa Anita has gone back to dirt.

Dickinson said recently that he foresees no problems with the new turf course and that it should be ready for racing by July. The wider turf course will allow for 14 starters, which is something Breeders Cup officials insisted upon before Del Mar could host the event.

Del Mar and Churchill Downs, both with strong bids, are considered the favorites to receive the next dates for the Breeders Cup. Santa Anita will host the world championships for the third consecutive year this fall. But 2015 and beyond are open as far as host tracks.

Breeders Cup officials are expected to name the next site for the world championships soon.

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Del Mar's new turf course ready for grass

BAKERSFIELD,CA- Local water districts including the East Niles Community Service District, are reporting increases in residential water usage.

"Last year if you look at the average consumption for January 2013 was 1,500 cubic feet for residential customers and January of this year, it went up to 1,900 cubic feet," said Tim Ruiz, general manager at East Niles Community Service District.

Ruiz says the culprit is irrigation.

"Watering everyday is not good for your plants, not good for trees, it's not good for anything and it's definitely not good for California," said Dale Edwards with Old River Sod.

Edwards says you can get the curb appeal you want with less water by training your lawn.

"The drought is a serious thing. We have to prepare now and not wait until the middle of summer because you can't transition your roots that fast," said Edwards.

It starts with getting the roots strong and healthy by using a core aerator to puncture holes to let your choice of soil conditioner in, which keeps the pores in the soil open and breathing. Edwards says healthy roots need less water.

Second, add days between each time you water. Edwards says nothing too structural, it's based on color. The color of the grass can give signs on its condition and adding water may not always be the remedy.

"I will look at my grass and it will turn this light color blue or little bit of gray color and then that means okay it's time to need some water. It starts turning a little bit of yellow, that's the time it needs a little bit of fertilizer," said Edwards.

Edwards waters his lawn every six weeks but its taken him ten years to train is lawn. But he says if you follow these simple tips, you can save up to two-thirds of water in less than a year.

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Train your lawn to use less water

NATHAN SKID / Crain's Detroit Business

New Kentucky bluegrass will be installed this month at Comerica Park in the first full-field sod replacement at the ballpark since 2007.

The Detroit Tigers soon will begin using plows, trucks and snow blowers to remove the layer of snow from the playing surface at Comerica Park so new grass can be installed and ready in time for Opening Day on March 31, the team said today.

As reported Monday by Crain's, the Tigers organization bought 103,000 square feet of Kentucky bluegrass from Fort Morgan, Colo.-based Graff's Turf Farm.

The turf is to arrive in refrigerated trucks beginning the week of March 17.

This will be first full-field replacement at the 15-year-old ballpark since 2007.

Since the initial set-up for the Winter Festival in November, when the grass was removed for a temporary ice hockey rink, the entire playing surface has been covered with a textile filter fabric that prevents debris and contaminates from entering the sub-surface, the team said.

The fabric also allows the Tigers' groundskeeping staff to remove snow without removing or displacing the root zone.

The infield and turf areas since Monday have been heated with surface-level construction-grade, 750,000 BTU trailer heaters, which blow warm air under large tarps, the team said.

Once the snow is gone, the field will be leveled.

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Tigers to truck out snow to make way for new Comerica Park grass

Photos by Brendan OConnor

Weve all heard this story before: An academic, hippie environmentalist moves into a middle-class suburban neighborhood where neighbors like their front yards tended and prefer their lawns to have conservative buzz cuts, just like their men. The new neighbor has other ideas, however, and upsets the balance. People start to worry about their property values, pests and the aesthetics of their otherwise quiet subdivision. Its the age-old tale of living in the burbs the neighbors grass isnt always greener, especially when its dotted with radishes and dandelions instead of bright green sod.

Shon Law is a 32-year-old tech start-up wizard who foundedsocial media website, Nebber, a few years back. Hes also a Longwood resident who refuses to mow his lawn. In fact, hes decided to stop interfering with his yard altogether in favor of planting edibles and letting it go native, a decision that his neighbors and the city are not happy about. Law is being fined $300 a day for abandoning the traditional grassy lawn for a quilt-like expanse of ankle- to knee-high tufty native grasses, weedy plants and isolated patches of vegetables. Law has placed a path of square cement blocks around the plot to try to make it look a little more civilized, but they really only emphasize how high and overgrown the grass is.

To date, Law has accumulated well over $130,000 in fines for breaking city codes, mostly dealing with the length of his grass and attracting pests. The city of Longwood has placed a lien against his property in an effort to make Law change his ways, but he says he doesnt plan to change a thing.

Video: Shon Law explains his farming philosophy

When asked why, he says he believes hes doing the right thing. This area is a food desert, which means no food is readily available here and it has to be trucked in from somewhere else, he says. Sure, I could move out to Bithlo, but I bought this house here, and I have a right to do what I think is best on this property. This is a free city, and we cannot bar a property owner from doing something on the basis of aesthetics. If something happened and food was no longer being brought to this area, all of these people would starve.

Law is practicing the art of permaculture, a method of agriculture rooted in natural ecosystems. His goal, like the goal of many permaculturists who went before him, is to bring sustainable, local sources of food closer to home.

Related: Watch more videos of Shon Law talking about his landscape.

Clashes between radical locavores and their more traditional neighbors have grown more common as interest in sustainable food production has increased. In 2012, a College Park couple faced fines of more than $500 a day after neighbors complained that their front-yard vegetable garden was against code. In response to the controversy, the city of Orlando eventually rewrote its landscaping code to allow city residents to dedicate a limited amount of their property to edible plants.

>Email Brendan OConnor

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Longwood front-yard farmer stands by his permaculture plot