Artificial turf talks continue
Lawrence - Everyone wants their green grass to grow, but if you live here in Kansas, having it all year round is nearly impossible, unless you use artificial turf. Earlier this year, artificial grass was a hot and controversial topic with the City of Lawrence. Now, the issue has resurfaced. Different building sites around town want to install the synthetic turf, but the city isn’t for it because of the negative effects officials say it can have on the community.
Back in February, the Tuckaway at Frontier apartment complex landed in hot water because it installed the “fake grass” without seeking approval from the city. At the time the code required all landscaping materials to be natural, and synthetic turf is far from it. After all the fuss, the city compromised by changing the code, saying it was allowed, but only small amounts. But officials said they still didn’t want to see it popping up in a lot of different places, but it’s happening despite their wishes.
The Lawrence 360 church off of Clinton Parkway in west Lawrence has requested to use the material for a new playground that will be used for the daycare center in the church. They say the area is shaded most of the day and the grass is hard to maintain. Officials say their request for the immaculate material should be approved without any hesitation.
The church will ask the city’s permission to install the turf on Tuesday at the City Commission meeting.