17 November 2011

Rain causes havoc in City parks and reserves

The recent high rainfall has affected the maintenance of many of the City's parks and reserves.

The rain gauge at Fitzherbert Park measured 157mm of rain in October which is almost twice the average. The nature of the soil in Palmerston North combined with a higher than average rainfall means the ground isn't getting the chance to dry out. The Council also measured 28.5mm of rain from the downpour yesterday.

The Council's Operations Manager, John Trollope, said staff were doing what maintenance they could without causing further damage to the ground.

"Our staff have been mowing the parks wherever possible, but the ground is so sodden we can't get the mowers on to some areas. That means that there are some parks that have only been partially mown and might look a little strange. As soon as the ground dries out enough to support the weight of the mowers, we'll be in there to finish the job."

The Council is asking the public to be patient until the weather settles down and the ground has had a chance to dry.

"We know it's frustrating, particularly for sports clubs who have been affected by recent closures. However, all the sports grounds are currently open and we're doing everything we can to keep them open," said Mr Trollope.

"Our staff work really hard to make sure sports grounds are open as much as possible, but the recent spate of rain has meant the ground staff can't get mowers and rollers on to the fields. Most fields were so sodden there was a layer of water on the surface and any heavy equipment would have quickly become bogged."

The Council is maintaining contact with sports clubs to make sure they're kept up to date on ground conditions.

"We'd like people to understand that the current situation is out of our control. Most residents will know how difficult it is at the moment to mow our own lawns with the ground conditions the way they are, and the parks are no different. It will take more than a sunny weekend to dry out most of the parks enough to allow full access by our mowers, but we'd like to assure everyone that as soon as the conditions allow, we'll be working as quickly as possible to get the parks and grounds back up to their usual condition."

Updates on sports fields can be found on the Council's website: www.pncc.govt.nz

ENDS

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