DID mulls future of Five Points Park landscaping

Although most visitors to Selby Five Points Park appreciate the shade from an oak tree on a sunny day, some of the grass at the downtown park is suffering because it sits in the shadows.

The city is currently in the process of planning to replace the turf at Five Points Park, last installed in 2014. At today’s Downtown Improvement District meeting, city Public Works General Manager Todd Kucharski said the grass likely has to be replaced at least every other year because of the wear and tear it receives.

One reason the grass needs frequent replacement is the level of activity in the park. Another part, however, is attributable to the shade cast by the trees in the park — and that’s a problem Kucharski wants the DID to consider addressing as it helps fund the maitenance.

"The challenge is, we're trying to fit that all in a little stamp-sized area of the city." — Todd Kucharski

Kucharski said the city has consulted with turf experts to get a sense of what the best practices for managing the grass at the park would be. Even taking that advice into consideration, however, he says there’s only so much that can be done to mitigate the problem.

“All of their recommendations will survive, but I don't think they will thrive,” Kucharski said.

By removing the turf in the shade and replacing it with other plants, the city can avoid dealing with patches of grass that don’t get enough sunlight to stay healthy. Although it’s still relatively early in the planning stages, Kucharski said the city would consider adding turf elsewhere — possibly replacing a bricked area designed to be used as a stage, which currently doesn’t get much use.

Kucharski, along with DID Operations Manager John Moran, will continue to work on the scope of a potential project before returning to the board with a proposal. He made clear that he’s happy with the amount of use the park is getting, and he doesn’t want to eliminate green space from the city’s urban core if possible.

Making sure all of the different parts of Five Points Park can exist in harmony with one another will take some effort, though.

“The challenge is, we're trying to fit that all in a little stamp-sized area of the city,” Kucharski said.