Parks, Recreation & Community Services
Municipal Services Committee
June 23, 2026
Athletic Field Surface Replacement at
Villa Parke & Robinson Park
Parks, Recreation & Community Services
Recommendation
• Approve the replacement of existing artificial turf
fields at Villa Parke & Robinson Park with
enhanced artificial turf that:
> Are recyclable
> Remove PFAS from manufacturing
> Use natural infill materials
Parks, Recreation & Community Services
Background
• March 24, 2026 - MSC Discussion:
> Field capacity & recreational programing
> Environmental & health impacts
> Maintenance requirements & water use
> Long-term costs & advancements in newer turf
technologies
• May 4, 2026 – CIP Plan adopted by Council
> Turf Replacement project adopted
> Surface type discussion referred to MSC
Parks, Recreation & Community Services
Natural Grass Fields
• Historical – Villa Parke prior to artificial turf
> Rapid deterioration between August 2005 – March
2006
Parks, Recreation & Community Services
Impact on Natural Grass Fields
• Year-round wear
> Soccer played throughout
the year causes wear,
compaction &
deterioration
> Intensive maintenance
Parks, Recreation & Community Services
Impact on Natural Grass Fields
• Require annual closure for renovation
6 November 2023 Victory Park Upper
Multi-Purpose Field after Renovation
November 2024 Victory Park Upper
Multi-Purpose Field after Use
Parks, Recreation & Community Services
Impact of Converting to Grass
• Reduced season lengths & elimination of programs
7 Robinson Park Multi-
Purpose Field (2025)
Adult /
Youth Participants Teams Villa Parke Soccer Field
(2025)
Adult /
Youth Participants Teams
Adult Sports Management
Soccer League Adult 1,000 104 Villa Parke Youth Soccer
League Youth 3,388 344
Ultimate Frisbee Adult 80 4 Citywide Sports Youth 178 14 Pasadena Ponies Youth 40 2 Providence College Adult 50 4 LA Sports Net Adult 120 11 FC Golden State Youth 30 2
Citywide Sports Youth 178 14 William Alvarado
Soccer Training Youth 55 4
Sequoya School Youth 50 5
Adult Sports
Management Soccer
League
Adult 1,000 104
Mayfield Jr. School Youth 30 2 TOTAL 4,701 472
West Pasadena / Central
Altadena Little League Youth 293 26
Rose Bowl Pony League Youth 210 14
TOTAL 2,001 182
Parks, Recreation & Community Services
Field Use & Injury Survey: Five-Year Review
FIELD USE TURF INJURIES
91 11
4 0
6 2 2
7 0
10 20
30 40
50 60
70 80
90 100
0 1–3 4+ N/A
VPYSL Parents Sports Users
91 13
2 6 3 3
0 10
20 30
40 50
60 70
80 90
100
0 1–3 4+
VPYSL Parents Sports Users
Athletic Field Surface Field Survey
16 0
89 3
8 6
0 10
20 30
40 50
60 70
80 90
100
Turf Grass Both
VPYSL Parents Sports Users
FIELD USEFIELD USE TURF INJURIES GRASS INJURIES
85%
VPYSL: Play on
both surfaces
35%
Sport Users:
Play on
both surfaces
86%
VPYSL: Zero
turf injuries
60%
Sport Users:
Zero turf
injuries
82%
VPYSL: Zero
grass injuries
60%
Sport Users:
Zero grass
injuries
Parks, Recreation & Community Services
Preferred Surface Type
GRASS INJURIES
Athletic Field Surface Field Survey
69.8%
16%
12.3%
1.9%
64.7%
29.4%
5.9%
0%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
Artificial Turf Natural Grass No Preference No Answer
% of respondents
Preference Type
VPYSL Parents Sports Organizations
Parks, Recreation & Community Services
Water Conservation – Villa Parke
• Long term water reductions
> Water Usage dropped from 8.4 million gallon to 3.1
million gallons
0 1,000,000
2,000,000
3,000,000
4,000,000
5,000,000
6,000,000
7,000,000
8,000,000
9,000,000
2007 2008 2009 2010 2018 2020 2022 2024
8,778,528 8,374,608
6,489,648
3,824,524
5,057,228
4,372,808
3,618,076
3,066,052
Parks, Recreation & Community Services
Maintenance Cost – Villa Parke
Category Artificial Turf Natural Grass*
Base annual maintenance cost (Year 1) $5,738 $27,937
Base annual renovation cost (Year 1) $10,908 $9,848
Annual escalation rate 3.0% 3.0%
10-year cumulative maintenance total $65,780 $320,266
10-year cumulative renovation total $125,048 $112,896
Initial capital / conversion cost $970,810 $1,100,000
Turf replacement — Year 10 (escalated at 3%) $1,266,687 — 10-year total cost $2,428,325 $1,533,162
* Natural grass renovation includes aeration, leveling, seeding, and irrigation audits and repairs, as well as the purchase of seed, fertilizer, and seed cover. It also requires temporary fencing rental and equipment use. If sod is used instead, renovation costs would increase to approximately $100,000. 10-Year Total Cost (3% Annual Inflation)
Parks, Recreation & Community Services
Field Demand
• City’s Athletic Field Demand:
> 22 athletic fields serve 20,000+ participants annually across 60 organizations
> Two aging artificial turf fields at Villa Parke &
Robinson Park have reached end of service life
> Fields were installed between 2009 & 2011
> Replaced in 2018
> 20–25 groups are turned away each year due to
limited capacity
Parks, Recreation & Community Services
Open Turf Areas Used for Sports
• Open turf areas used to help meet growing
demand for athletic programming:
> Brookside Park (Area H)
> Gwinn Park
> Jefferson Park
> McDonald Park
> Victory Park – upper turf area & lower filed
> Villa Parke
13 Parks, Recreation & Community Services
Alternative Field Options
• Brenner Park
> Estimated cost to
install field lighting:
~$520,000
> Additional space
needed - 30,920 sq.
ft.
14 Parks, Recreation & Community Services
Alternative Field Options
• Grant Park
> Estimated cost to
install field lighting:
~$520,000
> Additional space
needed - 36,120 sq.
ft.
15 Parks, Recreation & Community Services
Alternative Fields Evaluated
• Athletic field locations evaluated:
16 Facility Type Location Evaluated Key Challenges
PUSD Campuses Various school campuses Fields already in use, limited availability
Private Schools Mayfield, Pasadena Christian,
Pasadena Polytechnic
Limited access,
existing
programming
Colleges /
Universities
Pasadena City College,
Caltech
Fields heavily
scheduled, limited
public access
Faith-Based
Institutions
Churches with field space Limited infrastructure,
no field lighting
Parks, Recreation & Community Services
Next Generation Turf
• PFAS-free manufacturing
• Proposed organic infill – sand, coconut fibers,
walnut shells, and cork
> Reduces health & environmental concerns
> Lowers surface temperature
• Enhanced shock absorption
• Reduced cutting inlays / seams
Parks, Recreation & Community Services
Conclusion
• Athletic fields support community health &
youth development
• Turf fields provide year-round access &
capacity
• Natural grass would reduce access & disrupt
programs
• Artificial turf offers the best balance of access
& sustainability
18