City Closes Depot Park Field

(Editor's Note: The following press release was sent to Patch by Scott Collins, Assistant to the City Manager.)

SANTA CRUZ, CA— City officials have made the difficult decision to close Depot Field out of serious concern for user safety due to turf conditions.

The field has been deteriorating for years and the initial tests conducted by the City indicate the field is not safe for use at this time. In order to protect our community, the field will be closed until further notice.

The damage is extensive and will require significant time and expense to repair.

The City is currently involved in a lawsuit over the issue with the field conditions, which must be resolved before any remedial work can commence.

The City regrets any inconvenience, disappointment or frustration the closure may cause and asks the public for patience as the process of litigation and repair will necessarily take considerable time.

Given that the field is extremely popular—for youth and adult soccer league games and practices, community soccer and pick-up games—the City will make every effort it can to complete the litigation and fix the field and keep the public and City Council informed regarding the events.

In the interim, City staff is working with Depot Park user-groups to locate alternative facilities suitable to their needs to minimize the impact of this closure.