Final hurdle cleared before start of dog park hydroseeding project

Palm Springs has cleared the final hurdle needed to begin an experimental grass restoration project at its last remaining permanent dog park, with the Parks and Recreation Commission unanimously approving temporary pop-up dog parks Monday that will keep unleashed dogs off city turf while hydroseeding gets underway.

The pop-up parks at Sunrise Park and Ruth Hardy Park should open by Friday, three days before the dog park behind City Hall closes for the hydroseeding process — an accelerated planting method the city hopes will finally solve years of patchy, dead grass at the heavily used site.

Parks and Recreation Director Nick Gonzalez told commissioners the timing was critical. Spring planting is necessary for the grass to establish itself before the brutal summer heat sets in.

“If we do not do this now, we will experience the turf in the summer months to be essentially non-existent, or just patches of increased grass throughout the area,” Gonzalez said.

Heavy use of the dog park causes grass to thin or die each summer, leaving bare patches that can flood during winter rains. Hydroseeding — which combines seed, fertilizer, and mulch in a slurry sprayed across the ground — speeds up germination and could give the turf a fighting chance against the wear. Once completed, the process may need to be repeated every couple of years, with each cycle requiring a six-week closure.

Gonzalez acknowledged that dog park users had previously pushed back against closures, but said his department had worked with an ad hoc committee of representatives from each park to build understanding and support for the plan.

Parks and Recreation Commission Chair John Miraglia said the short-term inconvenience was worth it.

“A little pain right now can help later,” Miraglia said. “And I think what Nick’s saying is right, like they see that his team has been way more open, and they’re like, OK, we need to try something different.”

Gonzalez expressed confidence the experiment would pay off. “We want to test it out. We want to see if it’s going to work. We feel confident that it will, and it really will benefit our community and our dog park users,” he said.

The closure at the facility behind City Hall comes as dog park options across the city are already reduced. Construction at Demuth Park began March 2, forcing both dog parks at that site to close and pushing more users to the City Hall location. Gonzalez said the $7.5 million Demuth Park project remains on track to finish before October. Improvements will include multiple octagonal shade structures at the large dog park, a new restroom building, ADA access upgrades, and new parking lots.

In other parks news, the city’s splashpad at Downtown Park is expected to reopen March 30 or 31, pending a county health inspection. The feature, inspired by the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians’ Tahquitz Canyon waterfall, has been a popular warm-weather destination.

And beginning April 9, Desert Highland, Victoria, Baristo, and Gateway parks will host public art installations through April 14 as part of ARTSCAPE, the city’s initiative to bring public art into neighborhood parks. The installations will be formally dedicated at a ceremony at City Hall on April 15.

Also, an agreement with Palm Springs Parks Foundation was postponed to next month’s meeting. Per direction from the commission, the city will continue to explore up to $50,000 in grant funding through the National Fitness Campaign for a fitness core at one of the city’s parks.

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