Greeley's Bittersweet Park a 'reimagined blank slate' as improvement work winds down - Greeley Tribune

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Nearly every day, Greeley resident Lucy Svetlenko spends time in Bittersweet Park.

“It’s good,” said Svetlenko said. “Here it’s quiet. Trees, children on the playground. No noise. It’s very good.”

The visible 21-acre park recently started looking even better as progress moves on in the Bittersweet grass replacement and irrigation project.

Greeley resident Lucy Svetlenko sits on a bench in Bittersweet Park Thursday, June 11, 2020 in Greeley. Svetlenko, who lives near Bittersweet, visits the park nearly every day even while work was being done through the recent $1.6 million grass-replacement and irrigation project. (Anne Delaney/Staff Writer).

Work began in January following community meetings in early 2019 during which time the city sought public comment and input.

The large metal fences that encircled the park through most of the winter and spring came down about three weeks ago to allow seeding machines access to the park. Seeding on the new grass is underway and will continue through July. Sprinklers pop on throughout the day and evening to help the seeds take root.

While there are visible patches of dirt, it’s only a matter of time until the park again assumes its lush look as the new native grass in those places grows in.

“It’s a reimagined blank slate,” said Andy McRoberts, director of the city’s culture, parks and recreation department. “It will be green again. It just won’t be water thirsty.”

Part of the $1.6 million project entailed removing approximately 16 acres of Kentucky Bluegrass and replacing it with a native species that over time will require less water.

“Every area will have some form of green by August,” said Greeley Parks Superintendent Eric Bloomer. “Native grass takes longer to come in. It takes a couple of years to fill in nicely.”

Bloomer said before the grass replacement effort, the park required an average of 24 million gallons of water a year. The total will be reduced to approximately 15 million gallons annually once the new native grass is fully grown into the park sod.

City of Greeley Director of Culture, Parks and Recreation Andy McRoberts, left, and Parks Superintendent Eric Bloomer pose Thursday, June 11, 2020 in Bittersweet Park in Greeley. The city’s $1.6 million grass-replacement and irrigation project is moving along at the park. Work began earlier this year. Behind McRoberts and Bloomer is a patch of dirt where new grass has been planted as part of the replacement work. (Anne Delaney/Staff Writer).

“It will be considerably less water once the native grass is established,” Bloom said. “It’s a savings over time. It’s long-term conservation.”

The Kentucky Bluegrass will remain on approximately 6 acres through the park where there is a higher level of foot traffic and activity, McRoberts said.

The project also included the addition of 4,500 linear feet of crushed stone or granite internal pathways, also known as a soft trail.

A look at a soft-surface internal trail Thursday, June 11, 2020 in Bittersweet Park in Greeley. The section of the trail is part of the 4,500 linear feet of crusher fines pathway added to the park as part of a recent $1.6 million grass-replacement and irrigation project. (Anne Delaney/Staff Writer).

One stretch of the soft surface trail is in place near the lake, running parallel to 35th Avenue and to the north of the Weld County Veterans Memorial.

McRoberts said the city heard about the desire for these pathways at the community meetings. The paths are not visible from the streets surrounding the park, but softer surfaces are a big hit with runners.

“There’s more desire in the Greeley community to do soft-surface trails,” McRoberts said.

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Greeley's Bittersweet Park a 'reimagined blank slate' as improvement work winds down - Greeley Tribune
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