Langford Mayor Stew Young says the city’s plan to increase its artificial turf installation spending is part of a multi-year plan to shift away from grass on city property.
The city’s expenditures on artificial turf has climbed from $50,000 in 2018 to over $200,000 each year for the next five years, according to financial plans.
Young said the city is taking a 10-year overall measure to cut down on future lawn maintenance costs. “Langford put a policy in place that we’re not watering any more, so we put in the artificial turf in place of the actual grass that requires maintenance and cutting and water,” he said.
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Developers are required to pay for artificial turf instead of grass on future developments. The city also plans on replacing grass with artificial turf “as they go,” he said.
Artificial turf can be spotted around the city in public spaces and new development in places like Goldstream Avenue, the Westhills areas, the libraries and on Millstream.
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Maintenance workers will be safer as part of the move, he emphasized. “I don’t want workers sitting in the middle of the road trying to cut, if they ever fell off… it’s not the way we’re gonna do it.” He added the city will continue to plant trees, but only ones that are green year-round to cut down on clearing and storm drains maintenance. Savings will start being apparent in three years, he said.
Council’s plans to cut down water use and add drought resistant trees started as early as twenty years ago.
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