Foster City OKs turf fields, EV charging station

Once the project is complete, Foster City will be home to eight synthetic turf fields; existing ones are also located at Sea Cloud Park as well as Catamaran, Port Royal and Edgewater parks. Each synthetic turf field saves about 1 million gallons of irrigation water annually compared to grass fields, and the conversion of two fields to synthetic turf would save the city $13,500 in water consumption costs annually based on current rates, according to the report. The city would also save money on other field-related costs not limited to fertilizer, irrigation repairs, sod and field-marking paint.

According to the report, a synthetic field needs to be replaced every eight to 10 years at a cost of $500,000, while removing and replacing a natural grass field costs about half of that. On the other hand, natural grass fields are out of commission for about three months each year for maintenance compared to just four days a year and one month every eight years for synthetic turf fields, according to the report.

There was some disagreement among councilmembers about process — Mahanpour was disappointed to see the item on the consent calendar and requested additional discussion, but Councilman Herb Perez insisted the item had been adequately addressed in past meetings and that a previous delay caused construction costs to rise by half of a million dollars.

Ultimately, the council skipped further discussion.

“I’d rather pay less, but I find on balance that this is an appropriate use of the city’s funds and the benefits clearly outweigh the burdens to the city,” said Councilman Charlie Bronitsky.

The meeting also brought good news for electric vehicle-driving residents. The council unanimously approved construction of an EV charging station with four high-speed chargers — which take 20 to 30 minutes for a full charge — at the city-owned parking lot shared by the library, community center and police department, which is located near residences, freeway on-ramps and retail.

EVgo, which operates the largest fast-charging EV network in the country, will install the chargers in a four- to six-week time frame and manage them at no cost to the city. The stations will make Foster City one of the few cities in the Bay Area with public high-speed chargers. There will be a fee to use the chargers.

“This is another one of our sustainability initiatives in Foster City,” said Mayor Sam Hindi.

Hindi was also referring, in part, to the Citizens Sustainability Advisory Committee, which the council decided to create at the meeting. The committee would be comprised of five Foster City residents, who will research and advise the council on various sustainability programs and initiatives during a one-year term. Residents must apply to the committee by July 24 and the council will appoint members in August.

Before and throughout the meeting, outgoing City Manager Kevin Miller was honored by councilmembers after serving as the city’s top executive for the past three years and as Parks and Recreation director for 23 years.

“Kevin is a champion and a leader who has been committed to this community, empowered those who worked for and with him, and he set them on the path to become leaders themselves,” Hindi said. “He’s a champion of customer service and open door policy, he always welcomed the community, even those who disagreed with him. He’s the ultimate gentleman, a champion of integrity and respect and he will lead a legacy of the best parks system on the Peninsula and perhaps the state.”

zachary@smdailyjournal.com

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