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Highlands Today

City Budgets $25K To Water Durrah Martin Fields

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By DOUG CARMAN

Highlands Today

Published: July 21, 2008

AVON PARK - The city spent more money to water the Durrah Martin Complex than many people would spend on a new car, and it could end up spending even more next year just to keep the grass green.

The Avon Park City Council balked during its annual budget hearing Saturday afternoon when it saw $25,000 budgeted to water the Durrah Martin Complex and its four baseball fields.

That didn't include any other maintenance for the park, interim recreation director Michelle Cuencas and parks foreman Larry LaFlam said.

"That's a killer," councilman George Hall remarked as Financial Director Renee Green read the number.

LaFlam said that the baseball fields, which host Dixie League Youth Baseball games regularly, are watered at least once a week, but the South Florida Water Management District allows the city to water the fields one additional time after heavy usage.

"A lot of this is when we weren't getting a lot of rain," LaFlam told the council.

Outside of the meeting, he estimated that the complex used from $14,000 to $16,000 in water each year before the drought.

Most of the water is used in the winter and spring, during the height of the youth league activity. Each time the fields are watered, LaFlam said, it's done for 30 minutes from 11 stations, with each station using two or three sprinkler heads that shoot water.

Since the baseball activity slows down during the summer and because of the recent summer rains, LaFlam said he cut the water usage in half, but the council still was jarred by the cost.

City Manager Sarah Adelt and Mayor Sharon Schuler suggested charging the leagues using the fields more money to cover the cost of the water bill.

"If they're raising money... they need to support the fields," Schuler said.

Schuler also asked if the county was supposed to pitch in with the expense, but Green stated that the county does not cover the water usage.

LaFlam also mentioned that he could get some estimates so that it could use well water to irrigate the fields. Currently, the city's using its municipal supply, which is more expensive.

According to the proposed budget, the city will spend a total of $15,000 to water all of its other public parks, including Head Field, Memorial Field, Donaldson Park and Anoka's softball field.

Altogether, the park operation budget amounts to $355,719, while its personnel cost for the 2008-2009 fiscal year amounts to $235,123. An additional $271,220 in grants will be spent to add a water playground to Donaldson Park and to replace most of the equipment at the Aline McWhite playground.

Doug Carman can be reached at 386-5838 or dcarman@highlandstoday.com

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