Published: 12 Mar 2015 11:30

A NEW grass pitch at a 1.5m football complex in Greenock is diseased and flooded before a ball has even been kicked, says a local councillor.

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Inverclyde Councils redevelopment of Rankin Park has been marred by delays but now there are claims the project is in disarray due to drainage and turfing problems.

Local authority SNP group leader Chris McEleny says he has received a number of reports from people that the 1.5m complex is a disaster and he has pressed officials for an explanation at a meeting of the education and communities committee on Wednesday.

Construction work is still to be completed on site and council officers have admitted there are a number of issues, but they say it should be ready for amateur teams for the next football season.

Despite assurances that turfing the pitch would create a better end product instead of seeding it, Cllr McEleny says he has been told that large areas of the park are dying from disease already and that the park is badly flooded with newly installed drainage at fault.

He said: Ive had reports that the drainage just isnt working and the turfing of the new pitch has been a disaster.

I have requested a site visit with council officials so that we can ascertain if reactive measures are indeed required as feared.

To be perfectly blunt I think people are getting fed up of public money being spent on facilities only to see more money required to fix problems that shouldnt have been there in the first place.

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1.5m Ranking Park football complex is a 'disaster'

The grass seeding took off a lot better than Zachary Peterson expected, so now there's a place to sit and throw a picnic for anyone visiting Davenport's River Heritage Park.

The park along River Drive near where 3rd and4th streets connect is open to the public just in time for this week's early spring weather. Peterson, a landscape design architect for the city, called it a "soft launch" at Wednesday's Levee Improvement Commission meeting.

The big-deal opening is scheduled for Memorial Day, when he said the city will dedicate the park with a boulder etched with the names of thethose who made it possible.

With a gazebo, river walk and railing designed to mimic the Centennial Bridge arcs, there's something for visitors to see now apart from the river view.

The Davenport Rotary Club invested more than $100,000 in the construction of the gazebo. The city and state are investing about $725,000.

"We're definitely getting bang for our buck here," Peterson said.

One project that remains undone is construction of a bioswale. The city and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers continue to investigate clogged sewer infrastructure in the area.

"It's a real mess, but it's being worked on," Peterson said of the sewers.

Another future project that awaits private donations includes meandering paths through a prairie landscape on the west end of the park.

The Davenport City Council is expected to approve future plans at its April 8 meeting.

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River Heritage Park now open; set for Memorial Day grand opening

A section of McKinstry Street will close for 45 days beginning March 23 so workers can remove the final, big obstacle to completing the downtown Napa flood bypass channel.

That obstacle is McKinstry Street itself. The street extends across the eastern end of the bypass like a 6-foot-high dam. For the bypass to function as planned, McKinstry Street needs to be reconstructed at a lower elevation.

Once the McKinstry Street section is lowered, water will be able to flow over it during those rare times when the bypass is handling Napa River floodwaters.

The McKinstry Street work signals that the $12.6 million U.S. Army Corps of Engineers bypass construction project is entering its final stage. Besides lowering McKinstry Street, remaining tasks include hydro-seeding parts of the bypass to provide more vegetation.

Well be out of there come mid-June, Corps spokesman Tyler Stalker said Monday.

Then Napa will have an escape valve for the Napa River when big storms hit. Rising floodwaters will top the weir at the eastern end of the bypass near the Oxbow Public Market and run for a quarter mile through the bypass to rejoin the Napa River just below First Street near Veterans Memorial Park.

Most of the time, the bypass will be dry and Napa will have a 13-acre, park-like setting with walking paths linking the downtown with the Oxbow business district.

McKinstry Street is not a thoroughfare. It provides a secondary entrance to the Oxbow district, which has shops and restaurants. People during the street closure will still be able to reach the Oxbow through the primary entrances at First Street from either Soscol Avenue or Silverado Trail.

In addition, the northern section of McKinstry Street outside the bypass will remain open.

Nordic Industries is the contractor doing the McKinstry Street work. A letter from the company said it will demolish the McKinstry Street asphalt in the bypass section, lower the street and build new curbs, gutters and a concrete street surface.

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Flood bypass construction to close McKinstry Street

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Butch Dill/Associated Press

We feel your pain, college football fans.

Ever since Ohio State was crowned as the first playoff-determined national champion back in mid-January, we've been mired in a seemingly endless offseason. It's still almost six months until the first games of the 2015 season are on our TVs, and it feels like there's nothing to keep us entertained until then.

Or is there?

Believe it or not, there are other sporting events between now and then. And while nothing can match the excitement of those Saturdays filled with collegiate action, they're better than nothing.

Check out our suggestions for events to help tide you over during college football's long offseason.

USA TODAY Sports

When: March 17-April 6

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8 Events to Get College Football Fans Through the Offseason

Moreni Power Harrow M.A. 3.000 Smooth Roller + SOFT Seeder 3.000 High Quality Grass Seeding
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By: Moreni Agricultural Machinery

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Moreni Power Harrow M.A. 3.000 Smooth Roller + SOFT Seeder 3.000 High Quality Grass Seeding - Video

Study finds optimal ratios of kentucky bluegrass, perennial ryegrass for seed blend

LINCOLN, NE - Turfgrass professionals have created seed mixes specifically blended to ensure disease and insect resistance, water use efficiency, and tolerance to traffic. For example, a commonly used mixture of kentucky bluegrass (KBG) and perennial ryegrass (PRG) seed offers advantages such as rapid germination and establishment and provides turf cover that can compete with weeds. A new study shows how initial composition of KBG:PRG in the seed mixture affects species composition over multiple years in the Midwest, and offers recommendations about seeding ratios for optimal results.

Although the KBG:PRG seed blend is popular with consumers, both types of seeds have distinct advantages and drawbacks. Despite its ability to germinate quickly, perennial ryegrass is susceptible to numerous diseases when grown in humid regions of the Midwest United States, and can become thin during the heat and humidity of late summer or when subjected to winter stresses. Kentucky bluegrass is slow to germinate and establish, but is desirable in the long term because it spreads by rhizomes, is relatively drought tolerant, and will accommodate a wide range of management systems. Christopher Proctor and Zachary Reicher from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and Daniel Weisenberger from Purdue University, published a study in HortScience that provides new recommendations for initial composition of the common seed mixture.

"Landscape contractors are pressured to deliver lawns from seed quickly for customer satisfaction," the authors said. "However, few studies have evaluated how initial composition of KBG:PRG in the seed mixture affects species composition over multiple years in the humid Midwest, just north of the transition zone of adaptability between cool- and warm-season turfgrasses." Proctor, Reicher, and Weisenberger studied the establishment and species composition after 3 years of a turf stand seeded with different ratios of KBG and PRG maintained as a lawn. They conducted experiments in West Lafayette, Indiana, using seed mixtures of KBG:PRG of 100:0, 90:10, 80:20, 70:30, 50:50, and 0:100 of pure live seed. The plots were seeded in late August, and the researchers rated speed of cover for 6 weeks after seeding and also percent KBG in the stand in August for 3 years. According to the authors, analyses showed that 100% PRG, 50:50, 70:30, or 80:20 KBG:PRG ratio had the highest percentage turf cover at 6 weeks after seeding during establishment because of the quick germinating and establishing PRG. This was especially important in 2007, when late summer heat stimulated late summer crabgrass germination. Regardless of turf cover during establishment, all treatments except 100% PRG shifted to greater than 95% KBG cover by 3 years after establishment.

"For the region in which our study was conducted, it may be desirable to seed with a higher proportion (greater than 50%) of PRG to speed initial establishment for customer satisfaction, erosion control, and/or to offset years with high weed pressure," the authors said. "Under lawn conditions similar to our study, seeding ratios with high KBG (80:20 or 90:10 KBG:PRG) will likely shift to a stand composition of greater than 95% KBG within 2 years, whereas all other ratios lower in KBG will likely shift similarly within 3 years."

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The complete study and abstract are available on the ASHS HortScience electronic journal web site:

http://hortsci.ashspublications.org/content/50/1/137.abstract

Founded in 1903, the American Society for Horticultural Science (ASHS) is the largest organization dedicated to advancing all facets of horticultural research, education, and application. More information at ashs.org.

Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system.

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Seeding mixtures recommended for midwest lawns

West Coast and new captain Shannon Hurn face an anxious wait to see whether Domain Stadium will be ready for training this month.

The West Australian Football Commission say it will work to ensure the West Coast Eagles will be able to commence training at Domain Stadium in two weeks, despite reports there could be a delay after Friday's One Direction concert.

The Sunday Times reported West Coast was concerned it might not be able to use the ground for up to a month. The first AFL game for the season scheduled at Domain Stadium is Fremantle against Port Adelaide on April 5.

"We've got no clear timeline for when we'll get the oval back," Eagles general manager of football Craig Vozzo told The Sunday Times.

Thousands of fans turned out to see boy band One Direction play at Domain Stadium on Friday night. Photo: Matthew Tompsett

It was reported large parts of the ground's surface had been damaged following the One Direction gig and that sections of the ground would need to be replaced and would take two to four weeks to settle.

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But in a press release that first trumpeted the value of having major concerts at the venue, then addressed the ground damage issue, the WAFC said damage to the ground was not significant and in line with expectations.

"We currently have a booking for West Coast to recommence training at Domain Stadium on Monday, March 9 and will ensure the turf is prepared to meet AFL standards for this booking," he said.

Mr Walton said after the turf was installed, the last pre-season renovation work would then get underway, including re-coring, sanding and seeding for the rye grass to ensure the surface was well prepared for the AFL season.

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1D damage: WAFC says Eagles will be back on Domain Stadium in two weeks

HERBICIDES are one of the most important tools in a no-till farmer's arsenal, but increased - and sometimes incorrect - use has the potential to render these vital chemicals ineffective.

Speaking at a recent herbicide resistance forum at Karoonda, organised by the Mallee and Coorong NRM group and the Karoonda Ag Bureau, the Australian Herbicide Resistance Initiative's Peter Newman, Geraldton, WA, said resistance was a growing problem.

"Herbicide resistance is a big issue worldwide, and in Australia WA and parts of SA have been the leaders," Mr Newman said.

While herbicide resistance in the SA Mallee is not as great as other parts of the country, issues are starting to crop up.

"Our big concern for this part of the world is that brome grass will very quickly evolve resistance to Imi (imidazolinone) herbicides and once they fall over these growers are going to have a lot of trouble on their hands, so we're trying to intervene before that happens and make those herbicides last a lot longer.

"The reason more farmers don't have Imi resistance is because they haven't used enough of it, but it will happen - it's not one of those low-risk groups," he said.

"If you're just in the stage of getting a few resistant populations, that's the warning sign that it's going to happen."

He said herbicides were not the answer to herbicide resistance.

"Herbicides are fantastic - but has anyone actually completely eradicated ryegrass on their property? We've had 30 to 40 years of new ryegrass herbicides coming out, and we've still got ryegrass. Herbicides are brilliant, but they're not the complete answer," he said.

"With a lot of farmers, when herbicide resistance bites, they just start rotating herbicides. They're still living year-to-year, just focusing on killing this year's weeds, then it's all the same the next year. As soon as farmers make it about the seed bank, they start to have wins.

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Herbicide future under threat

By Melinda Myers

Too much or not enough water and never when you need it. That seems to be the long-time plight of gardeners. Add to this extended droughts, flooding and watering bans. What is a gardener to do? Become a water-wise gardener.

Water wise is not just about growing drought tolerant plants or eliminating plantings. It is a holistic approach to managing water to avoid flooding that overwhelms sewer systems, improper watering that wastes water, and poor landscape designs that generate too much work and require too many resources.

Make this the season that you incorporate a few waterwise habits into your gardening. Youll find it is good for your garden, the environment and your pocketbook. Start with one or more of these strategies this year.

Rain barrels arean effective way to manage water for the landscape.Photo/Melinda Myers

Select the right plant for the growing conditions. Plants that thrive in normal growing conditions for your area will be healthier, require less care and need less water. Look for drought tolerant plants that require less water once established.

Keep water out of the storm sewers and in the garden instead. Prevent flooding while improving your garden. Adding several inches of compost to the top 8 to 12 inches of soil increases the soils ability to absorb and retain water. This means less runoff into the storm sewers and less frequent watering.

Use plants to prevent runoff and conserve water. Plant trees, shrubs, and groundcovers to slow the flow of rainwater, increase the amount of water that stays in your landscape for your plants, and to filter water before it enters the groundwater. Install one or more rain gardens to intercept surface water runoff for use by rain garden plants and to help recharge the groundwater.

Provide plants with a healthy diet. Use a slow release non-leaching organic nitrogen fertilizer like Milorganite (milorganite.com). Youll encourage slow steady growth, so your plants will require less water and be less prone to insect and disease problems. Plus, the slow release nitrogen encourages healthy growth and does not prevent flowering and fruiting.

Water wisely. Water plants thoroughly and only when needed. Water the soil, not the plant, using a watering wand, drip irrigation or a soaker hose so less water is lost to evaporation. Water early in the morning whenever possible to reduce water loss during the heat of the day and diseases caused by wet foliage at night.

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Collect water now to irrigate garden later

Looking out across an open plain in the remote western part of Pinehurst last August, most people just saw waist-high weeds, grass and underbrush.

Todd Abbey, executive director of AC Sandhills, saw athletic fields, something the nonprofit youth sports organization desperately needs for its burgeoning programs. AC Sandhills has more than 2,800 members playing soccer, lacrosse, volleyball and youth triathlon.

"We're always looking for field space," Abbey said Thursday at the park as he met with two contractors who will turn the recently cleared site into two soccer fields, a lacrosse field and training area. "It is difficult to find enough field space. The amount of traffic we put on fields is pretty incredible. Three fields doesn't sound like a lot. It will make a huge difference for us."

Under an agreement formally signed last month, AC Sandhills will primarily use the fields at the park during times of bad weather when other fields in the area are closed. Abbey said that has certainly been the case the last few weeks with the winter weather and rain.

"We haven't been able to play or practice much," he said.

Abbey said Pinewild Country Club, thanks to the Sato family, came in with a bush hog and cleared the land last month.

"We thank them for being willing to help," Abbey said. "Now it is up to us to make them playable. We need to make them level so a ball will roll on them."

The village approved a zoning amendment allowing the club to put in a gravel parking lot with 75 spaces. The ordinance normally would require that the lot be paved, but this is for a temporary use.

Parks and Recreation Director Mark Wagner said the parking lot design must be approved by the village planning staff. In the meantime, the club has already begun working on the fields, which cover about 12 acres of the park's 67 acres, according to Interim Manager Jeff Batton.

Abbey said the fields will go a long way in providing more space for all of the club's outdoor programs. He said having them will help the club continue to grow and alleviate pressure on existing fields.

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AC Sandhills Moving Ahead on New Fields