Over the beautiful Memorial Day weekend I spent time with family and friends enjoying the beautiful weather. I even had the wonderful opportunity to spend the entire weekend with my three grandchildren and took them to visit Juniper Park. Each day they played in the playground and loved running on the synthetic grass with nothing on their feet but socks. I was dismayed, however, that each afternoon we visited the park I noticed that the ball fields could not be used because the sprinkler system was activated to water the grass. The sprinklers were on at approximately 2:00pm on Saturday, and 3:00pm on Sunday and Monday. It seemed odd that in the middle of the day, when kids all over the park were looking for someplace to play, they were prevented to play ball because of the sprinklers. As a matter of fact, it seems that sprinklers are on during any afternoon that certain organizations are not using the fields. When I was small boy, I used to visit my grandparents in the Catskills. I distinctly remember that my grandfather would only water his grass during the early morning hours. I’m not a horticulturist so I did some research to see when is the best time to water your grass and find out if my grandfather was crazy or if the community is being duped. Here is what I found out:
“The best time for lawn irrigation is in the early morning hours to avoid prolonging the dew period which can encourage disease problems.”
“Early morning is the best time to water. Avoid watering during the mid-day as much of the water will evaporate before it can soak into the soil. There is also less wind during the early morning, which will give you a more evenly distributed spray. Most importantly, early morning watering gives the grass all day to dry. Wet grass overnight can cause, molds, fungus and disease.”
Courtesy of Green Lawn
“The best time of day to water is during the early morning hours – around 3:00 - when the water pressure is highest. In addition, water will have a chance to soak down into the ground before evaporating, thus providing the most benefit for the lawn. And any water left on the lawn will be evaporated away in a timely manner when daylight arrives. Mid-afternoon watering is probably the worst time to water, as far as efficient water use is concerned. Too much will evaporate away before it has a chance to soak down. You’ll be using a lot of water, but won’t be doing your lawn all that much good. Even though it may be very tempting to turn on the sprinkler during one of those scorching days, hold off on it. Evening watering will permit the water to soak down just fine, but water will remain on the lawn way too long, which can invite fungus and diseases.”
Courtesy of Water Wisely: The Best Time to Water Your Lawn.
I think you get the picture. Maybe the sprinkler system is turned on in the middle of the afternoon to prevent people from playing on the fields. I think parks should reconsider the maintenance contract they are entering in with Bob Holden. However, if they decide to go forward we hope that they heed the expert's advice and water the grass in the early morning hours.
24 comments:
Come on now....Is this site ever going to get off the ballfields. I am very proud to have in our neighborhood such beautiful, well kept fields. Thank you to all those who maintain them.
I would like to come to this site and see something other than this mean spirited, vindictive, same old thing over and over again.
THE FIELDS REQUIRE A PERMIT TO PLAY BALL.
I like to go a watch games (and I have watched RGMVM and CYO games there along with some great High School Games.) Not only the Midville Dodgers play on those fields. Get off the subject.....it is getting old! Leave the kids alone.
I believe that these new ball fields are suppose to be open for public use WHEN they are not used by permit holders. It appears that by watering the fields when they are not in use by permit holders allows certain individuals and organizations to maintain total and complete control. Looks like the people and organization that wants to control these fields are not as "civic minded" as they want us all to believe. Hopefully they will soon topple like a house of cards. Keep up the good work "Patriots".
i comepletly agree with you.
The sprinkler system is on a timer. You can set it for early morning and still allow kids to play. Turning the sprinklers on is what is vindictive
You know what I agree we should move on from the ball fields. We realize that Bob Holden is a power hungry ego manaic, it will never change.
Looks like that photo was taken in the middle of the day. Why does the Parks department allow this?
Clearly they can water at another time. Vindictive that's what it is.
I completely agree that these beautiful ball fields should be used by permit only. If they are open to the public when not used by permit holders they will not be beautiful any longer. Unfortunately, if not protected you put them at risk for destruction. Look at the ball fields all over Queens that are not locked and kept up by the Parks Department. So what if the Midville Dodger Organization is footing the bill to keep the fields nice for all the other permit holders that use them. Did you ever go to a game at Bush? Now that is a perfect example of an unprotected ball field over time.
To the Poster that wants to protect fields. How much damage do 10 year olds do playing ball on a field? Soccer and Football destry fields not young kids playing baseball.
Watering these fields at the time that they do is for spite and only spite.
So go back to Bob and tell him we are on to him.
Midville Dodgers Footing the bill? How about Taxpayer grants footing the bill! How about business that are trying to buy favors from Holden…. they are footing the bill.
But most importantly how much is Bob profiting?
Check with the Secretary of State and Attorney Generals office and ask for the Midville Filings see what happens.
Cheats and Liars those Midville Owners. We feel bad for the kids who are getting fleeced.
That Picture speaks volumes to the meanspirited leadership of the Midville Dodgers.
How do you know only ten year olds will play there? How are you going to keep kids who want to play soccer and football out? You just have a vendetta against Holden and the Midville Dodgers. Why not go after CYO and RGMVM and Christ the King and Cathedral Prep? They use the fields too.
I just like that kids have beautiful fields to play baseball on. If you want to practice, go to the other fields.
PS The teams pay fees to get permits to play on the locked fields......it is not just tax payer money.
These are public parks, the permits just give you priority use. Everyone should be allowed on the fields when not wet or in use by teams with permits.
The truth of the matter is everyone knows you do not water grass in the late afternoon. This is a ploy so the fields will not be used.
It is very nice to have beautiful fields but it reminds me of my mother's good china, pretty but we never got to touch it so I consider them a waste!
Do Councilman Gallagher and his buddies actually do any work? Or do they spend all day blogging at taxpayer expense?
Hey Mr. Illinformed:
Midville Dodgers have been Government Sponsored
CTK and RGMV don't kick our communities kids off the fields only Fielder and Holden do! You know those guye they mow the lawn with their Midville Dodger hats on.
Practice on other fields you say? Why is it only Midville can practice on the upper Fields My families Tax dollars were excluded when the fields were built?
But I do agree that Soccer should be kept off! You don't need to lock the fields to do it!
Oh yes you do have to lock the fields to keep soccer off. If you look around Juniper, any open space with a minimum of trees becomes a soccer field.
Did you notice the bleachers alonside field 1 have been vandalized. Big dents in the benches on both sides......It is unfortunate, but if you want to keep the fields nice, they have to be locked.....
Whoever said that “teams pay fees to get permits to play on the locked fields….it is not just tax payer money” is wrong. Youth groups such as the Midville Dodgers, CTK, RGMVM all do not have to pay a fee for a permit, therefore they do get to play on tax payer’s money.
Adult teams or leagues do not get to play on tax payer’s money; they pay $16 per 2 hour session for a permit. Youth groups should have to pay at least a nominal fee for a permit; this will stop certain groups from monopolizing on permits.
Like adult leagues, youth organizations (CYO, Midville Dodgers, RGMV) all charge the kids to play plus have corporate and governmental sponsorship. As noted in your Pay To Play In Mudville Blog this can be a big business. Youth fees range from $150 (RGMVM) to $850 (Midville) per KID or based on 15 kids = $2,250 to $12,750 per team (includes uniforms, equipment & ump fees). Adult league fees range from $600 to $700 per TEAM (does not include uniforms, equipment or ump fees), yet they have to pay for a permit and get a dirty look from parents if they ask a youth group to leave the field because they have the permit that they paid the parks department for. play on the locked fields......it is not
The last sentence in above blog should be taken out unless you put it in. Thanks.
Queens Park Commissioner should read this.
Maybe someone should write an open letter to the Commissioner
To the person who wrote about the permit fees, you left one thing out, one very important thing, the adult league organizers, who just happen to also be the permit holders, make TENS OF THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS as personal profit a year. Oh, and by the way, in case you didn't know, it's all tax free, since there are no mechanisms or checks and balances in place to monitor this. So how about this, have the Parks Dept, along with the NYC Dept of Investigations and both the IRS and NYS Tax Department conduct an in depth, just shy of a full body cavity search, of these permit holders and league organizers, recoup the estimated back taxes they owe for all the years they have maintained a monopoly on these permits and lets see how fast they will be running to file for next year's permits. Now maybe more people and organizations will have a chance at getting a permit for themselves.
To the person who wrote that adult league organizers make TENS OF THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS as personal profit (but pay for permits) might be correct but you must not have read the blog on Pay To Play In Mudville, which implies that a certain youth organization can also make TENS OF THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS as personal profit (not have pay permit fees) and have the power to decide when the fields can be used by locking the gates or turning on the sprinklers in a public park. The point of my blog was to correct the person who said “PS The teams (youth) pay fees to get permits to play on the locked fields……it is not just tax payer money.”
Both adult leagues and youth organizations charge league entry fees and make TENS OF THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS, they both should have to pay for permits. These youth organizations play in a public park and on tax payer money. All kids should be allowed to play if they want. In a public park and on tax payer’s money, a child’s participation should not have to depend on if you can afford to pay an organization fee or how talented you are unless you are going to pay for a permit. This should apply to CYO, RGMVM, CTK and Midville.
You were correct in saying that the Parks Dept, along with the NYC Dept of Investigations and the IRS and NYS Tax Department should conduct an in depth investigation on adult leagues but you forgot to mention that this investigation also needs to be done on the so called non for profit youth organizations who also charge league fees. A lot of money is changing hands and it all does not go to the good of all kids but rather the personal agenda of league organizers.
I agree totally and stand corrected. Thank you.
As a former player of the Midville Dodgers it is hard for me to be unbias in this situation but my feeling is that Juniper park has many ball fields and all of you see the condition those other fields are in. To allow the upper fields to become like those would be a shame. Personally at the end of every season many Midville players would be out doing field maitnence to the fields hoping to keep it in the best shape possible. Ballfields all around the city that are publicly used are in horrible conditions and the grass takes a lot of maitnence. The teams that play on the upper fields are serious baseball teams so if a person just wants to hit the ball around or play a little catch I dont see why it cant be on the lower fields.
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