Crew tackles Collier Park water project

With the help of crews from the California Conservation Corps (CCC), Collier Park is undergoing a landscaping project that will cut back on water use and create a more level picnic area.

“We’re real excited about the project,” said Jane Engleton, senior ranger for Collier and Dos Picos county parks.

In the front lawn and picnic area by Collier’s parking lot at Sixth and E streets, 25,000 square feet of turf has been removed. Engleton said 11 irrigation stations and 83 sprinkler heads were also removed, and they will bring in drought-tolerant plants, river rock, boulders and decomposed granite (DG).

Dave Holt, county Parks and Recreation Department’s district manager, said the project will “create a xeriscape or area of landscaping that will take very little irrigation.”

The park will still retain grassy areas, Holt noted.

“There’s plenty of grass for people to still walk on,” he said.

With the new landscaping and elimination of sprinklers, county parks and recreation expects to see a 15 percent decrease in water use, said Jessica Geiszler, marketing and public outreach manager for the department.

“Additionally, by reducing the irrigation of the east lawn from three days a week to two (and for a shorter time span) we anticipate a 25 percent decrease in water use,” she said. “And a project that has already been completed is the installation of low-flow fixtures in the restroom, which should save an additional 3 percent.”

Before the turf was removed, Holt said the grass area around the picnic tables was uneven. With crews grading the area for a more leveled landscape and adding DG, Holt said it will be safer for picnickers to walk on.

The pepper trees that shade the picnic area will be maintained, he noted.

John Tabarez, a conservationist with CCC, said his crew was spreading river rock around the base of the pepper trees to keep in moisture and protect the soil around the roots.

Parks and recreation started the project about three weeks ago, working in conjunction with the conservation corps, and plans to be finished by mid-August. Geiszler said the cost will be about $30,000, and covers materials, equipment, plants and an $1,800-per-day labor fee to cover the CCC crews.

Tabarez’s crew of 16 is from North County San Diego with members primarily from Escondido, Vista, Fallbrook and Oceanside.

The state conservation corps is modeled after the Civilian Conservation Corps, the public work relief program that operated from 1933-42. In 1976 then Governor Jerry Brown created the state program for young adults to spend a year outdoors to improve California’s natural resources and also assist in emergencies.

Tabarez said the program is for 18- to 28-year-olds and participants can stay in it for up to three years. While they volunteer for the program, they are paid, said Tabarez. According to the CCC website, the pay is minimum wage “with cash bonuses after a certain number of hours.”

“It is a great program,” said Tabarez. “I was in the CCC when I was 18. This will be my 23rd year.”

As a conservationist, Tabarez said he is a supervisor and a teacher, instructing on conservation and protecting the environment.

In addition to job experience and learning conservation, participants gain discipline, ethics and get an opportunity to see places they’ve never seen, he said. With the experience, some go on to join the military or become a firefighter, he said.

For more information about CCC, visit www.ccc.ca.gov or call 619-409-4382.