Executive Landscape to renovate Sullivan Middle School field

Executive Landscape, Inc., will be renovating the lower field at Sullivan Middle School.

The Bonsall Unified School District board voted 4-0 Jan. 19, with Erin English absent, to approve a $24,998 contract with the Rainbow firm to eliminate holes and clumps of invasive grass on the field.

"The lower field at Sullivan needs some attention," said BUSD superintendent Justin Cunningham. "We definitely want to make that a lot safer playing field."

Part of the problem is an infestation of gophers which have created holes deemed to be a tripping hazard. A separate agreement with Western Exterminators will provide gopher control.

"It's got some gopher problems," Cunningham said.

Large, hard clumps of invasive grass also created a potential hazard along with difficulty for students running, sprinting, twisting, changing direction, and stopping.

The level of rehabilitation is beyond the ability of district personnel to complete while still ensuring maintenance for other BUSD facilities, so Executive Landscape was requested to provide the renovation activities.

"We're local, so we were able to jump on this project quick and help them out," said Executive Landscape vice president for client relations Dave Batey.

"The idea was to get it done as fast as possible," Batey said. "It was a quick response project because they're trying to get the soccer field in good enough condition."

Soccer tryouts for the Sullivan varsity and junior varsity teams are scheduled for Feb. 14-15.

"It's going to be so nice," said Sullivan soccer coach Domingo Anguiano. "No one's ever given the lower field, the soccer field, a facelift."

The scope of work activities and materials include soil testing, spot spraying of the field, scalping the field, aerating the field, hand raking, drag mat raking, composting, washed sand, 50 pounds of fertilizer, 50 pounds of gypsum, hydroseeding the field with 35,000 square feet of imperial blue-rye blend grass, and removing and reinstalling irrigation heads at the grade to avoid damage.

"The main protocol was to make sure we got it leveled out," Batey said.

The blue-rye blend is a mixture of bluegrass and rye grass. "It spreads and fills in," said Batey.

Executive Landscape and the school district will likely renegotiate the contract amount based on the actual work needed, which could involve a credit to the district.

"We want to be fair to everybody," said Batey. "We haven't had to do as much irrigation work as we thought."

Weather issues may create additional work for the leveling of the field. "After each rain we kind of have to do it over again," Batey said.

North County Middle School East League play will begin in early March.

"I feel a lot of cooperation," said Anguiano. "I really feel backed up by everyone."