A soil erosion repair project underway at the City-owned Jo Allyn Lowe Park will add years to the park’s life and make it safer and more aesthetically pleasing for park goers.
Approved by voters in the 2018 General Obligation Bond Election, the project is part of an overall effort to improve conditions at City parks, including erosion rehabilitation. Work on the Jo Allyn Lowe rehabilitation, which is being facilitated by the City’s Public Works Department, got underway March 7.
“Basically, we’re replacing the soil that has eroded over time and leveling up areas where tree roots have been exposed and the Pathfinder trail in the park is no longer flush with the adjacent ground,” said Director of Engineering Micah Siemers.
Siemers said City Parks Department staff have also done some work trimming trees to raise and open up the canopy so that sod can be established.
“They removed a minimal amount of trees that will help also, but they only removed trees that were starting to deteriorate or were sickly,” he said. “Any healthy trees in the area were just trimmed to raise the canopy. That seems to be the major issue with this area eroding due to lack of sunlight for grass growth. When you factor in a multitude of geese in the area year-round which are primarily vegetarians, it compounds the problem.”
Siemers said erosion has been an issue at the park for some time.
“Erosion in this particular park is worse than some of our other parks for a combination of factors,” he said. “First, there are a lot of trees, and getting grass established in the shade is difficult. Then when you take into account the desire to feed the ducks and geese by visitors of the park, that shaded ‘grass’ area gets quite a bit of foot traffic.
“There is also generally a downward slope from the parking lot to the lake, as would be expected. The grass thins due to insufficient sunlight, and then when it rains on that slope, without a solid grass root system to hold the soil place, the topsoil washes away. Then the high density of foot traffic wears down what little grass is left, and next thing you know, it is bare dirt.”
He said trying to establish grass with a substantial number of grass-eating geese makes seeding difficult.
“And they really like the shade-loving grass species, which aren’t quite as hardy as Bermuda anyway. It’s just tough,” Siemers said. “Our hope is that by opening up the tree canopy, importing quality topsoil, and then sodding rather than seeding will establish a strong turf layer and grass root system that can withstand the added pressure of geese and foot traffic. The slopes should be manageable, if we can just keep the grass in good condition.”
Siemers said a specific type of dirt is being hauled in for the soil rehabilitation due to the special considerations.
“We are importing a mix of clay, sand, and loam (soil with roughly equal proportions of sand, silt, and clay), which should be good for establishing the new sod and also shouldn’t wash out quite as easily as some of the more sandy-loam type soils that are sometimes used as topsoil,” he said. “The key will be getting the sod laid shortly after grading operations are complete.”
With the planning and labor provided in-house, the cost of the project is expected to be about $40,000, Siemers said.
Work on the project is expected to wrap up by the end of March or early April, weather permitting.
“Weather is always a major factor and will determine how quickly the work is completed,” Siemers said. “We scheduled this work to align with the growing season for the Bermuda sod, but this time of year can also be really wet, which will slow things down.
He said City crews are hauling the soil and will take care of the earthwork, but a sod contractor will lay the sod.
“They are much better equipped to get in and get out than we are in-house,” Siemers said. “Once the topsoil is installed, it will be important to get the sod laid shortly after.”
Jo Allyn Lowe Park is located at 2600 S.E. Price Road. The park features an arboretum, fishing lake, a Pathfinder Parkway trailhead and walking/jogging trails, and a monarch butterfly garden.