Creekside's Turf Field Is Still Fenced Off. The Choice Ahead Is About Hours of Play

Temporary fencing has stood around the artificial turf at Creekside Sports Park since July. The rest of the park stayed open, so the paths and parking lot are in use while the field behind the fence sits empty. The Town's October 30 newsletter said the field "has reached the end of its expected service life" and that "there is no anticipated timeline for reopening the field."

In August, staff wrote that the field would stay closed until they could evaluate solutions and next steps. The replacement itself comes down to two surfaces, modern synthetic turf or natural grass, and the two would not be equally available. Town staff estimate the field now hosts about 2,000 hours of permitted play a year. A natural grass field kept up by the current crew would offer about 544. So the surface decision also sets how many hours a week Creekside can be used for the next twenty years.

What the July test measured

Each year the Town tests the field's GMAX, a measure of how much shock the surface absorbs when a player lands or falls. A higher number means a harder surface. The Town's September 25 newsletter described the test as part of routine field management and called the closure a precaution taken "out of an abundance of caution."

The numbers from the August 3, 2026 staff report to the Parks and Sustainability Commission show how quickly the field changed. The May 30, 2025 test averaged 140. The July 14, 2026 test averaged 259. The limit under the ASTM 1936-19 standard is 200. A follow-up test on July 27 also failed, and staff wrote that the field "cannot be used for play." Going from comfortably under the limit to well over it in about 14 months suggests a surface at the end of its life. A short fix seems unlikely.

A replacement that has been on the books since 2023

The field's expiration date was known well before the July test. The Town spent the years in between studying its options. In order:

1. 2013: The current synthetic turf is installed at Creekside.
2. 2023: The turf reaches the end of its expected service life. In the Fiscal Year 2023/24 Capital Improvement Program, the Town Council sets aside partial funding to replace it.
3. Budget hearings that followed: Some community members raise environmental and health concerns about synthetic turf. Others stress keeping a field that can host programs year-round.
4. September 17, 2024: The Council hires Kimley-Horn and Associates for an independent study comparing new synthetic turf with natural grass. The study covers cost, maintenance, field availability and player-safety research.
5. July 27, 2025: Kimley-Horn submits its report.
6. June 1, 2026: Staff present the findings to the Parks and Sustainability Commission. The commission continues the item to August so staff can answer its questions.
7. July 14 and July 27, 2026: The field fails both GMAX tests and closes.
8. August 3, 2026: Parks and Public Works staff return with answers and recommend a synthetic surface with BrockFill infill. The meeting's stated purpose is a recommendation to the Town Council, which makes the final call.

The field closed while the Town was still weighing those two options.

The cost table, read as a schedule

The two options compare like this in the staff report, using staff's revised figures:

The bottom line is the easiest to read, but the cost gap comes mostly from labor and water. Staff's grass maintenance figures include one new full-time maintenance worker plus the water a grass field needs. Kimley-Horn's water budget estimated about 2,344,376 gallons a year, roughly $70,331, depending on the grass chosen and how much rain falls.

Staff also revised the consultant's numbers in both directions. Kimley-Horn's life-cycle model assumed natural grass would be fully replaced every four years. Staff said the Town would not do that and assumed instead two rehabilitations of about $200,000 each over 20 years. Staff also raised the consultant's first-year turf maintenance figure of $16,400 to $27,690, the Town's actual current cost.

The hours row affects families most directly. Grass fields generally manage 1,000 to 1,300 hours a year. Staff wrote that Creekside could reach that range "if appropriate staffing is funded." Even then, a grass field typically closes for up to 10 weeks a year so it can absorb water after big storms, rest through winter dormancy and recover between overseeding and top dressing. Staff put the weekly loss at about 13.5 hours and called it "a substantial reduction in playing time." Those totals don't include the pickup games that, according to staff, already run beyond the permitted hours.

What grass would give back

Staff's answers to the commission's questions also lay out what natural grass offers. Grass "remains significantly cooler than synthetic turf regardless of the type of infill used." Among infills, BrockFill and cork run about the same temperature, with cork reported to be slightly cooler. On injuries, staff cited research showing overall rates are generally similar on high-quality grass and modern turf. They added that several large studies found synthetic turf has higher rates of lower-extremity injuries, including ACL tears, ankle sprains, foot injuries and abrasions.

Staff's case for BrockFill answers some of those points. The recommended system puts shock padding under the turf. BrockFill infill runs cooler than crumb rubber, holds up longer than cork, stays in place in heavy rain where cork and crumb rubber can wash around, and is made entirely of organic wood.

For a nearby example of grass under heavy use, Los Gatos staff met with Saratoga's parks team about Congress Park, which hosts baseball and soccer on Bermuda grass. Saratoga spends about $45,000 a year on supplies such as fertilizer and soil amendments and keeps two full-time staff on its fields. Bermuda goes dormant in winter, so those fields are out of play roughly December through February. Saratoga also lays down and pulls up grass every year to turn two Little League diamonds into soccer fields. Los Gatos staff summed up the visit this way:

"After talking with the Saratoga staff, it appears that the resting time as well as dedicated maintenance staff are the key to keeping the field playable."

That puts the grass option in practical terms. Grass at Creekside could work, but only with a funded staff position and a calendar that leaves the field empty for part of the year, including the winter months.

Where that leaves the weeknight practice schedule

Two organizations paid to use Creekside in Fiscal Year 2024/25, Los Gatos United soccer and West Valley Red Hawks Lacrosse. Their fees came to about $36,500 that year. That's more than a year of synthetic-turf maintenance at $27,690. It covers about a seventh of grass's $242,412 first year. The comparison shows the Council's choice is also about how much of the field's upkeep its users pay for.

In the meantime, Los Gatos United's fields page says Creekside's turf is closed after the failed GMAX test with no confirmed reopening date. The club tells families to check their team's Byga schedule for the assigned venue before leaving home, even at fields they've played before. Its directory lists other sites, such as Blossom Hill Elementary at 16400 Blossom Hill Road. The club says a listing doesn't mean a field is open or reserved for a given team. The Red Hawks FAQ describes Creekside as the lacrosse club's usual site for Monday and Thursday practices and home games, so lacrosse families should go by club announcements for current locations.

The decision itself will come through public meetings. Parks and Sustainability Commission and Town Council agendas and packets are posted on the Town's meetings portal, and the Town has said it will post updates on Creekside as more information comes in. If you want to follow it, look for an agenda item on the Creekside Sports Park turf replacement. The staff report attached to that item will say which surface goes forward, and with it about how many hours a year the field will be open.

Brian Flack was born and raised in Los Gatos. If you'd like a local read on how park and recreation projects near your street factor into what your home is worth, the Brian Flack Team can help. Get your instant home valuation.