Grass

Jennifer Kho COSTA MESA -- Newly grown grass will meet a pack of dogs' paws today at the long-awaited reopening of the city's renovated Bark Park. "I'm excited," said Linda West, treasurer of the Costa Mesa Bark Park Foundation and owner of a dog named Thunder. "We've waited six months for the opening, and we finally got it to happen. Thunder is looking forward to some real grass and to seeing his pals again." The park was closed six months ago to allow the city to add parking and walkways to improve access for individuals with disabilities, and to give the Costa Mesa Bark Park Foundation a chance to grow grass.

Jennifer Kho COSTA MESA -- Grass at the often-maligned Farm Sports Complex has not been damaged by the recent rainstorms, said Bruce Hartley, a city maintenance employee. Although the grass is not growing, it is weathering the winter nicely, he said. That's welcome news for the city, which has seen its initial $7.5-million investment to buy the park nearly four years ago only slowly show its worth. The 18-acre Fairview Road park opened in July, a year later than planned and after a few agricultural problems.

A wrongful death claim filed against Newport Beach blames a hole in a grassy public area for the death of an 83-year-old man who flipped his motorized scooter there. In a claim filed against the city in September, Sharon Neben Fogg, of San Diego, alleges that the hole in a patch of grass in the 400 block of Narcissus Avenue caused former Corona del Mar resident Marvin Neben, 83, to die after falling there April 25. The relationship between Fogg and Neben remained unclear. Filing a claim is the first step in filing a lawsuit against the city.

Newport Beach resident Connie Hollstein is just in love with her synthetic lawn. It keeps her water and gardening bills low, allergies at bay, and home — once occasionally marred by her dogs’ muddy paws — conspicuously clean. “It looks nice — people walk by and don’t even know its artificial grass,” she said, adding neighborhood kids often knock on her door for permission to play on the lawn. Considering the significant amounts of water typically consumed by a square foot of conventional grass — about four feet annually — it’s no wonder the synthetic turf has become a cherished lawn ornament of conservationists.

June Casagrande While almost everyone welcomes the replanting underway at Castaways Park, there's a rift between people who want only native plants and those who want turf grasses in a small area for picnicking and other typical park activities. "There's definitely two different ways people think would be best for dealing with the Castaways Park, and it seems like we need more input from the public on which way to go," said City Councilman Don Webb, whose district includes the park.

June Casagrande To waterfront property owners, the term "eel grass" opens up a world of frustration -- an intensely bureaucratic and expensive odyssey to get a permit to dredge around their docks. But one of their biggest frustrations is convincing their inland neighbors that the eel grass problem isn't limited to people who to live on the water. "It's easy to dismiss this thing as a problem for waterfront property owners," said Dan Gilliland, a peninsula homeowner who has to dredge his dock every two to four years.

June Casagrande A question of when Little League teams can play at Bonita Canyon Sports Park has evolved into a literal turf battle. The city's Parks, Beaches and Recreation Commission next month will try to get to the root of an issue about grass at the new sports complex. At their February meeting, commissioners will review the city's decision to use a blend of three grasses that critics say are unnecessarily delaying opening the park's fields.

Re "Commentary: City's unions are Goliath," March 11: Councilman Steve Mensinger's attacking Councilwoman Wendy Leece? Really? We are a grass-roots group. Steve, there are a great many citizens of Costa Mesa who are angry with the way you are doing things and the things you are doing. There is a movement of citizens who are against your actions and who formed Costa Mesans for Responsible Government more than six months ago. Now more citizens are joining the group and fighting this charter proposal disaster.

There is a true grass-roots movement to oppose the proposed city charter by just-plain Costa Mesa folk who may want a charter but resent the way this one is being processed. It is truly a David vs. Goliath battle about principles over politics in Costa Mesa. Republicans, Democrats, liberals, conservatives, independents — you name them — Costa Mesans of all stripes are waking up. It's a good thing, really. Neighbors are talking, we're making new friends with people who used to be ideological foes, we're talking about what we want the Costa Mesa of tomorrow to look like, and what we will be willing to pay for the services we have come to expect and truly enjoy as Costa Mesans.

COSTA MESA - In the eyes of Kim Farthing, a penny spent locally is a penny earned in the pocket of a friend or neighbor. For this reason, Farthing has adopted a mission to learn how to buy as much as possible - from food to bedding to underwear - from Orange County and American manufacturers. She hopes that spending on things made here will, in a small way, help lift the sagging American economy. "I have to accept the fact that I may pay more," said Farthing, 55, of Costa Mesa.

Whether it's a sculpture of a rabbit or a statue of Ronald Reagan, he believes iconic features are placed in parks so people will remember them. Because of its sheer size the Newport Beach Civic Center's 16-acre park won't be easy to forget. But landscape architect Peter Walker, of Peter Walker Partners, wants to leave visitors with something else. Walker, who will give a presentation at the Central Library on Tuesday, envisions marquee elements that will capture the attention of adults and children.

Nixing plans to add fake grass to Corona del Mar's tree wells, the Business Improvement District's board members now are planning a spring event that could fill 150 neglected tree wells with expert landscaping, according to memos and interviews with BID members. Most of Corona del Mar's tree wells are "unsightly" and filled with dirt and rocks — but artificial turf is not the answer, according to a draft of a proposal that the Business Improvement District will submit to the City Council.

Robert Gluck had good training before he became Mesa Verde Country Club's superintendent about seven months ago. The 30-year-old Costa Mesa resident groomed his skills at Riviera Country Club, host of two PGA Championships and one U.S. Open. Gluck moved to California five years ago from his native New Jersey, intent on being outside year round. He worked his way through the ranks to assistant superintendent at Riviera, where he was the "eyes and ears" for his supervisor, Matt Morton, charting around the poa annua greens and kikuyu rough and fairways.

B alboa Island's Marine Avenue was transformed into a wave of sound and color Sunday as the island welcomed summer with the 17th annual Balboa Island Parade. This year's theme was "Family, Friends and FUN," and there was no shortage of the three. The parade, sponsored by the Balboa Island Home Improvement Assn., consisted of 103 group entries, one of the largest ever. Entries included drill teams, children on all types of two-wheeled locomotion, floats, decorated golf carts, vintage cars, civic groups, clubs, marching bands and local dignitaries.

April 23, I was looking at the displays at the big garden show at South Coast Plaza. As I rounded the corner I saw a booth with a nice collection of shrubs, perennials, vines and grasses. I stepped closer. At the front of the display I quickly noticed a large table of plants, separated from the rest of the display. On the table was a prominent sign that read, “California Natives.” Terrific; I was pleased to see many familiar native plants on the table. These native plants were clearly popular, attracting a lot of attention.

When I checked my backyard this morning, as I do every morning, I thought I could detect some new green grassy spots in the mud. It may have been pure imagination. I’ve been fantasizing about that picture for so long that I can no longer separate high hopes from reality. Dealing with unfulfilled expectations that I might awake one day to a carpet of green surrounding my house has been a blight on my life — and my bank account — for several years. There’s a kind of certainty of failure in each new attempt to achieve it. It has been 50 years since I moved from a suburb of Chicago to Southern California, where a good many natives have never awakened to a vista of shimmering green grass.

  Submitted by Scott Brown The Green Grass from AYSO Region 57 won the boys’ U14 Mayor’s Cup championship game, 3-0, over Costa Mesa Sunday. The Grass were anchored by their stalwart defense and goaltending, which did not allow a single goal in the tournament. Max Helman had a great game and was able to shut down Costa Mesa’s top goal scorer. Court Clark made several key defensive stops making things difficult for Costa Mesa the entire game.