Historic site’s lawn getting back in shape

By Cassie Tomlin

Thursday, Aug. 28, 2008 | 6:40 p.m.

Yellowing patches on the grassy hill above Wilbur Square had some worried the lawn at the historic Bureau of Reclamation offices wasn't being watered or maintained.

The Bureau of Reclamation, among the first structures built in Boulder City, has maintained the lawn since 1932 as part of the original design of the planned community.

Segments recently wilted as a result of mowing practices, bureau spokesman Steve Leone said, adding he expects the color to return in the fall.

The city maintains the grass in the square below it, which appears healthy.

Leone said a mulch buildup from leftover lawn cuttings had restricted water to the roots in a few patches.

"It's a landscaping issue," he said. "It happens with any landscaping on any big yard."

He said maintenance crews have mowed the Bermuda-fescue mix very low and added fertilizer and more seeds.

New shoots now grow in the areas, and the color is expected to return in a few months, he said.

He also said that about a month ago, a 50-year-old copper pipeline carrying water to the lawn broke and was replaced with a PVC pipe.

The break would not have restricted water enough to kill the spots on the lawn, he said.

Every summer month, the bureau puts 400,000 gallons of city water on the hill, which costs about $800 a month, Leone said.

Paul Adams, a 41-year resident, said he and other residents met with bureau officials two years ago about keeping and maintaining the lawn when they proposed to convert it to desert landscaping.

"We argued with them time and time again that this was an historic spot, and the original intent was to have it there," he said.

The bureau did eliminate some of the lawn that wasn't visible, he said.

Adams himself replaced 900 square feet of his backyard lawn a few years ago with more drought-tolerant plants.

The Bermuda mix he still has he mows and does not pick up the cuttings. He says now his lawn looks the best it ever has.