A $5.3 million sports complex scheduled to open four years ago in Durango may be delayed again this summer as a result of voles – mice-like creatures that burrow tunnels through the grass.
The vole damage was discovered after the snow melted this winter, said Cathy Metz, director of Durango Parks & Recreation. The city has started an intense regimen of irrigation and aeration to jumpstart growth of the turf in hopes that it will be ready by early May, when hundreds of children are expected to come to town for an annual soccer shootout, she said.
“We want to see how the grass responds to our treatment to address this vole situation,” Metz said. “We’ll know more as the grass gets out of dormancy and starts growing again, how quickly it rejuvenates.”
It is the latest chapter in a series of setbacks at the Smith Sports Complex at Fort Lewis College, which has yet to see any games. The 15-acre field, which was scheduled to open in 2012, was built to provide space for soccer, lacrosse and football games. It accommodates four soccer fields.
Problems started soon after the field was dedicated in 2012 when the grass failed to grow properly. While dealing with that, the city discovered rocks near the surface of the playing fields. After trying aeration and manual rock removal, the city removed the grass and scraped 6 inches of topsoil to screen out the rocks and add sand to improve soil health. The field was resodded in September. The renovations added $900,000 to the total expense of the fields, bringing the cost to $5.3 million.
“We were very pleased with how it was looking at the end of last year,” Metz said. “They were looking very inviting.”
But the new sod apparently made a good winter meal for voles, which eat through grass, leaving veins of dead sections. It is common throughout the city’s park system, but the damage can result in uneven playing surfaces at sports complexes, which can affect play and possibly cause injury.
“We don’t believe the roots have been damaged to the extent where the turf is going to be killed, but it definitely did some damage,” Metz said. “It didn’t appear that it killed the grass, it just may slow down the opening a bit.
“This is definitely challenging our expertise in turf management.”
Durango Youth Soccer Association, which donated $40,000 to the complex, planned to use the new fields May 6-8, when 140 soccer teams are scheduled to descend on Durango for a soccer shootout, which offers round-robin style of play. The shootout brings about 2,500 people to town who spend an estimated $1 million while here, said Kathy Wilson, who oversees administration and operations of the club.
Games will have to be spread out on fields throughout the city, she said.
Wilson said she’s “disappointed” but not overly surprised by the delays.
“At this point in time, my expectations are low as far as being able to use the fields” for the shootout, she said. “We were really hoping to have those fields this year. We really need the fields for that shootout in order to support the number of teams that we bring in.”
Metz is unsure if vole tunnelling will be a reoccurring problem at Smith Sports Complex. If so, the city may need to hire a company to do pest control, she said.
“I think it was just a great medium for the voles, and they just took advantage of it,” Metz said. “We haven’t seen the voles at the softball complex, which is also up on the Fort Lewis College campus.”
The city plans to host a grand opening when the fields are ready to go.
“We’re waiting to see how we come out this spring,” she said.
shane@durangoherald.com
