Landscape Architect Articles

Restoring Cleveland's Michael J. Zone  Recreation Center01-14-16 | Department

Restoring Cleveland's
Michael J. Zone Recreation Center
Local Green Industry Contractors Restore and Maintain the Playing Surfaces

By Jeff Fenner, partner B Communications

Project EverGreen and its local partners donated services to restore and maintain playing surfaces at Cleveland's Michael J. Zone Recreation Center.

When Project EverGreen volunteers first tackled renovating the playing surfaces at Cleveland's Michael J. Zone Recreation Center, they knew they had a challenge in front of them.

The center's 120-yard x 60-yard soccer field – which is used by neighborhood youth and adult sports teams - was in need of some turf TLC. The field needed to be aerated, fertilized and over seeded, and rocks and bricks embedded in the soil had to be removed.

Local green industry contractors including Morton's Landscape, Schill Grounds Management, Weed Pro and Weed Man pitched in to restore this important community gathering space into a safe place to compete and connect.

Volunteers from Weed Man applied fertilizer to the playing fields at the center as part of the ongoing "Healthy Turf. Healthy Kids." renovation project at the facility.

But the project - with an estimated value of $15,000 - didn't stop there. Maintaining the center's playing surfaces required an on-going commitment and Project EverGreen. Its volunteer partners are committed for the long haul.

This fall volunteers from Weed Man aerated, overseeded the center's soccer fields, and applied top dressing and weed control and fertilizer.

"The ongoing commitment to this initiative underscores the core objectives Project EverGreen and its volunteer partners stand for and that is to develop managed green spaces to help communities thrive," said Cindy Code, executive director of Project EverGreen. "Our goal is to ensure children have access to green space to play and exercise."

Studies have confirmed there is significant value in having children spend time outdoors playing. Project EverGreen's "Healthy Turf. Healthy Kids." initiative was created to renovate and revitalize parks and athletic fields nationwide to give children opportunities to enjoy safe green spaces. Yards, parks and athletic fields not only promote a healthier lifestyle but contribute to economic growth, community development and benefit the environment.

Renovation projects have been completed or are scheduled in numerous cities across the United States in 2015 including San Antonio, Fort Worth and Round Rock, Texas; Atlanta; Cleveland; Chicago; Minneapolis; Raleigh, Durham and Greensboro, North Carolina; Milwaukee; and Portland, Oregon. Key contributors to the nationwide initiative include the Dominion Foundation, Performance Nutrition and the Sports Turf Managers Association.