“There are three big puddles at El Roble Park right near the basketball hoops and portables day after day. Mosquitoes could be breeding there in the green-looking water in the middle of the path. There has got to be a leak somewhere because there shouldn’t be a puddle like that at this time of year.”
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Red Phone: Dear Stuck In Mud, When we received your original concern about this issue several weeks ago, we forwarded it to the Gilroy Unified School District Maintenance & Operations manager Carlos Pina, who went out along with El Roble Principal Scott Otteson to the area to check what was going on.Â
“I had our GUSD grounds personnel check the irrigation system for any leaks, drain the standing water and bring in tan bark to fill the low area outside of the gate to prevent children from slipping,” Pina said. Â “The grounds personnel also adjusted the sprinklers in the area and repaired a leak near the basketball courts.”
He said he thought the leaks had been fixed and was surprised when we forwarded your follow-up call to him mentioning that there were still three large puddles on the track. Pina and Otteson again went out to the track to try to figure out what was happening.Â
“Our grounds personnel returned to the site and discovered several more additional leaks, which they repaired and brought in a combination of sand/dirt to fill the low areas to mitigate the standing water,” Pina said. Â
The crews also trimmed some trees and shrubs along the fence line and around the area in front of the backstop. he said.Â
“With only seven groundspeople and one irrigation specialist to make repairs and take care of 16 school sites, it is challenging to keep up with all of the issues that arise.”Â
Sounds like they have their hands full but it appears they are doing a good job with the limited resources. Hopefully, good caller, you will be a little drier when you are out walking on the track now thanks to their efforts.
