Artificial Turf

I have a sister who is wealthy enough to have installed artificial turf in her backyard (“Council, residents weigh in on allowing artificial turf in front yards,” Aug. 11). To her, it made sense because she has three dogs. In order for her to maintain the aesthetic of a green lawn with no yellow spots from dog urine, she wanted to try the artificial turf. After three years of having her artificial turf, there are no yellow spots, but her grass has lost its initial luster and color, and it does not resemble anything in nature.

I'm dismayed that the Crescenta Valley Water District would increase rebates for artificial turf. It would be much better for the planet if they banned the plastic grass and concentrated on encouraging their customers to replace thirsty lawns with drought-tolerant plants. The use of unnatural, ugly plastic turf, manufactured from petroleum and/or used tires, emits toxic chemicals into the soil and air, poisoning the environment. It does not allow as much rainwater to soak back into the ground and replenish the aquifer as does xeriscaping, and does not generate any oxygen.

In an effort to decrease water usage as the cost of imported water keeps climbing, the Crescenta Valley Water District board has agreed to double the rebate it gives to property owners who install artificial turf or drought-tolerant plants. The boost comes as the city of Glendale continues to crack down on those with faux grass in their front yards. The water district has been offering the rebate since 2003, but saw a roughly 40% drop in participants last year compared to the program's peak in 2010, when about 50 rebates were issued.

CITY HALL — Parents from Glendale Adventist Academy on Wednesday rallied for the installation of artificial turf on the school's playground, pointing out instances when several children fell on the asphalt and suffered cuts, bruises and broken bones. The school submitted an application with the city's Community Planning Department to install artificial turf on its 14,800-square-foot playground in the 700 block of Kimlin Drive, replacing the current asphalt material. The kindergarten through 12th grade school is located in a residential zone where artificial turf isn't allowed in publicly viewable areas — a rule that has been the source of debate and contention for months.

Code enforcement officials have issued six notices of violation to residents who, despite a citywide ban approved nearly three months ago, kept their artificial front lawns. Glendale allows artificial turf in backyards, away from public view, but the City Council this year decided to continue to ban the faux grass from front yards, putting some residents who had already undergone the installation on the wrong side of the law. One of them, David Wood, has long battled to keep his artificial turf.

CITY HALL — The era of fake front lawns in Glendale was put off for a while longer Tuesday after the City Council, citing concerns over wear-and-tear and aesthetics, voted to relegate artificial turf to backyards and other out-of-sight areas as part of an overall measure to start cutting down on irrigation. With an eye to severe cutbacks in state water imports this summer, City Council members adopted revised regulations that would allow up to 49% of front yard landscaping to consist of non-live plant material, such as decorative rocks, mulch and bark.

An environmental testing firm has determined that the amount of lead in the artificial turf at the Glendale Sports Complex is far below federal and state limits - a potential chink in the armor of those who have argued strongly at City Hall against allowing the material in residential front yards. The findings were submitted to the City Council this week in a report by Glendale-based Environmental Consulting Services after some on the dais had asked to test the turf amid assertions from the public that allowing the faux grass in front yards presented a public health hazard.

Holding a bag of fertilizer and a bottle of weed killer in the air, Councilman Ara Najarian used what he called two examples of poison to convince his colleagues to allow artificial turf in residential front yards. “Real grass is as unnatural as the opponents' claim the artificial turf is,” Najarian said Tuesday. “There's no natural grass like that growing indigenously.” But none of the props or impassioned pleas were enough as the City Council declined to pursue legalization.

All but two property owners with artificial turf have removed their plastic grass almost a year after the City Council solidified a citywide ban on the material in front yards. Some who removed the artificial turf said the process cost them thousands of dollars, but because they feared criminal prosecution, they paid up. One of them was Steven Garberson, who begrudgingly paid $4,000 to move his artificial turf to his backyard, replacing it with dirt and desert plants in his front yard.

Starting on Feb. 15, soccer players who use the new artificial turf at Pacific Community Center, which was installed last month for $900,000, will have to pay more to rent the field. Rather than paying between $26 and $90 per hour for rental, soccer players are set to pay between $29 and $120 per hour, following approval by the Parks, Recreation & Community Services Commission this week. Rates depend on the type of use and time. Youth groups pay the least, while commercial groups must shell out the most.

Improvements to several parks are in the pipeline, including an $878,000 project to install artificial turf at the Pacific Park-Edison Elementary School complex. City Council members welcomed the artificial turf, noting that the natural-turf, 31,500-square-foot multi-purpose field on the Edison Elementary School campus is in dire need of repair. "I'm very, very happy that we've reached this point," said Councilman Frank Quintero. The multi-purpose field - which is open to residents during non-school hours - is popular among soccer players, for whom city officials have been working to increase and improve facilities throughout Glendale.

I'm dismayed that the Crescenta Valley Water District would increase rebates for artificial turf. It would be much better for the planet if they banned the plastic grass and concentrated on encouraging their customers to replace thirsty lawns with drought-tolerant plants. The use of unnatural, ugly plastic turf, manufactured from petroleum and/or used tires, emits toxic chemicals into the soil and air, poisoning the environment. It does not allow as much rainwater to soak back into the ground and replenish the aquifer as does xeriscaping, and does not generate any oxygen.

In an effort to decrease water usage as the cost of imported water keeps climbing, the Crescenta Valley Water District board has agreed to double the rebate it gives to property owners who install artificial turf or drought-tolerant plants. The boost comes as the city of Glendale continues to crack down on those with faux grass in their front yards. The water district has been offering the rebate since 2003, but saw a roughly 40% drop in participants last year compared to the program's peak in 2010, when about 50 rebates were issued.

Another apartment development that features ground-level retail is coming to downtown Glendale in the next few years as the project received final approval from the City Council on Tuesday. Council members unanimously approved the final design of an 84-unit development to be built on the northwest corner of California and Central avenues. It received initial approval from the council in January. The final design was almost identical to the initial proposal except for additional information about the building's lighting scheme and landscaping plan.

Yet again we hear the Glendale College trustees and president whine and cry about the lack of money for Glendale College. Classes are closed, semesters shortened, programs eliminated. I went to Glendale College beginning in 1959. The focus back then was on education. We had classes and instructors, sports, music, art and theater. We did fine. Today the college has an absurd number of programs and personnel that have absolutely nothing to do with actual teaching and classes. As an example, why do they need their own police department at a cost of millions of dollars per year?

NORTH HILLS - While the final 24 minutes were certainly grueling for both sides, the Flintridge Prep football team's nonleague contest at Heritage Christian on Saturday afternoon was essentially decided in the first half. All the scoring in the 19-16 affair, won by the host Warriors to send the Rebels to an 0-2 start, was contained in a first half in which Prep at times looked poised to dominate the game with its physical advantage on the front line. But three lost Prep fumbles before halftime kept the game close and a quick 74-yard touchdown drive allowed Heritage Christian a go-ahead score with 1:01 left in the second quarter, which would stand as the game-winner.

Since I have moved to Glendale, basketball courts have been taken out of parks “because they attract a criminal element,” denying their use to thousands of honest citizens, while X-rated newspapers are available throughout the city located on our streets, often free, for anyone, children included, to take. Now it's a criminal offense to have artificial turf in your front yard. Does anyone else think the priorities here are screwed up? Tom Campbell Glendale

All but two property owners with artificial turf have removed their plastic grass almost a year after the City Council solidified a citywide ban on the material in front yards. Some who removed the artificial turf said the process cost them thousands of dollars, but because they feared criminal prosecution, they paid up. One of them was Steven Garberson, who begrudgingly paid $4,000 to move his artificial turf to his backyard, replacing it with dirt and desert plants in his front yard.