Manawaroa Park to be renovated

10 April 2017

Manawaroa Park’s turf is to be resown to improve the popular park’s levelness and drainage.

Palmerston North City Council has engaged Mexted Performance Sports Surfaces to carry out major renovations on a large area of the park in the next few weeks.

The work site will be fenced off, the turf removed, the surface laser levelled, and the area then resown.

“The area will be out of use for most of, if not all, the winter season while the turf grows in,” PNCC Leisure Assets Officer Brian Way says.

Mexted Performance Sports Surfaces has more than 40 years’ experience in sports turf services and also installed the drainage system in the Events Quadrant of The Square.

“Last winter Manawaroa Park had to be closed for extended periods. Other fields in the city were not similarly affected. This park does not have a history of slumping and drainage problems, apart from less serious issues in the same areas in 2015. This suggests recent changes to the soil condition caused the problems of the past two seasons.”

The Council has been advised the poor drainage is the result of increased earthworm castings and isolated slumping of the park surface. This means the water runs off and collects in the low areas instead of soaking in evenly.

“Once the early summer rains reduced and evaporation rates increased, the park was perfectly usable for cricket,” Mr Way says. “However, we felt it was necessary to address the level issues before having junior hockey play on the ground again.”

The Council has worked with Hockey Manawat and Manawat Rugby League to reposition and relocate fields for the coming season. Junior hockey fields will be concentrated at the southern end of the park and between the worksite and Palmerston North Girls’ High School. Junior hockey fields will also be marked out at the ends of Fitzherbert Park, outside the rugby league fields.

“We are grateful for the understanding and co-operation of Hockey Manawat and Manawat Rugby League to allow this re-jigging of fields for this season.”

The renovation work is expected to start on Tuesday 18 April 2017.

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