Garfield Park Master Plan Use of Roundup Eliminated
Napa’s Garfield Park is situated on approximately 14.4 acres in northern
Napa and is home to the Napa Little League complex, a playground,
and approximately six acres of undeveloped open space. The park
currently provides residents with access to open space while also serving
as an essential facility for many of the community’s youth baseball
leagues. Staff from the Parks Division spent the past year developing new
approaches to controlling weeds along trails, public rights of way, and
in parks. By exploring more modern pest management techniques that
include use of special mulches, weed resistant plant and tree varieties,
and mechanical removal off weeds, the department was able to achieve
a similar level of effectiveness while reducing the number of herbicide
applications over the same period.
On Thursday, January 26, 2016, the Parks and Recreation Services
Department hosted an open house at Vintage High School to kick
off the Garfield Park Master Plan. Now through July 2017, staff will
work with residents to develop an updated vision for the park, identify
enhancements to both the developed and undeveloped areas, and
provide clear direction to guide future development work.
The planning process will include future public meetings at both the
Parks and Recreation Advisory Commission and City Council to review
draft plans and seek additional input from residents. Please visit www.
naparec.com and click the Garfield Park Master Plan link to learn more
about the project and future meeting dates.
Concerns over the chemical application of glyphosate, the active
ingredient in Roundup, came to a forefront last year after staff heard
from a number of citizens worried about its use in Fuller Park. After
taking these concerns into account, staff decided to explore alternative
methods for weed control while phasing out the use of Roundup.
The department is now proud to announce that it no longer purchases
Roundup or glyphosate based products for weed abatement in our
public green spaces. The Department still uses some herbicides as part
of its Integrated Pest Management program, but the department has
switched to organic products and mechanical methods that are safer for
the environment.