More Than Water Shutoffs

When it comes to fall maintenance, winterization tasks lay the foundation for resident safety, cost savings, and unexpected moments of joy

By Jefferey Spivey

At first blush, winterization doesn’t seem as cumbersome as other fall-maintenance tasks like leaf removal. Park visitors, too, may not think much of it beyond the inconvenience of a few closed restrooms. But behind those locked doors is a massive effort to prep parks, facilities, and buildings for the winter ahead.

Park District of Oak Park

For starters, water shutoffs can be highly detailed, with multiple complex steps.

“We shut off the water, open all the drain valves, remove the caps and diaphragms from the flush valves, disconnect the fill lines to sinks, and blow air through the system,” says Chuck Thomas, Public Services Facility Manger for the city of West Des Moines, Iowa. The process also includes removing backflow preventers, pulling water meters, plunging toilets and drains, and applying RV antifreeze to avoid sewer gas problems.

But to tackle these familiar duties, departments must have the right tools, like appropriately sized air compressors to properly blow out the lines.

“Another thing to note is that valves can fail, and a leaky valve that has tiny drops leaking can fill a whole system over winter and create many devastating issues,” says Chris Lindgren, Superintendent of Parks & Planning for the Park District of Oak Park, Ill. This makes opening up connections and disassembling water mains crucial parts of winterization.

Lindgren stresses that facilities need to be routinely inspected throughout winter to spot leaks before it’s too late. “Winterization is such an important task that must be done right,” he adds, “because it can quickly cost your agency thousands and thousands of unbudgeted dollars if you break lines.”

There are instances where some bathrooms and facilities remain in use during the season. In Oak Park, Lindgren’s department recently installed a standalone restroom that constantly circulates hot water and antifreeze through the toilet and that has heat tape on all exposed lines. There are also some other heated facilities in the area that remain open year-round but close to the public when temperatures drop below 10 degrees. In the city of Urbandale, Iowa, Assistant Director of Parks and Recreation Scott Hock says the department maintains portable restrooms at popular spots like trailheads, because they can withstand the cold.

But as involved as bathroom closures and water shutoffs can be, they’re just one step of many as departments gear up for cold weather.

“It’s fun because you blow out irrigation lines and the water spouts and all that stuff,” says Hock. “[But] that’s not even the full part of the prep.”

Winterization Tasks Range From Critical To Minor To Just Plain Fun

The winterization period is ideal for the full spectrum of maintenance tasks, from paint touch-ups to full-blown repairs. Some of those list items include routine checks to ensure functionality of heavily used equipment, parts replacements, fence repairs, concession-stand winterizing, and ballfield preservation.

“This isn’t an every-year item, but occasionally, we’ll regrade our [baseball] infields to make sure they have the proper crown on them, whether that’s through laser leveling or some in-house touchups,” Hock says. “In those colder months, we might end up rebuilding a dugout or [making] repairs to a dugout.

Other focuses include applying fall fertilizer and trimming trees. 

In Arlington, Va., trimming begins before park grounds are coated in foliage. “Before leaves fall, we do a lot of aesthetic pruning in our parks, just for visuals. Then we switch right into leaf season,” says Kasey Spriggs, Park Service Area Manager for the Arlington County Department of Parks and Recreation. 

For Hock, in Iowa, the cold-weather months are the only months for oak trimming, which takes place after the leaves have fallen. In this case, the lack of canopy makes the process easier.

Of course, a core element of winterization is preparing for snow and ice, which could include outfitting summer equipment with plows and other parts to aid spreading salt and sand or clearing snow. However, Hock shares that his team may carry out dormant mowing during winter periods when there’s no snow on the ground. 

Additionally, structures like temporary docks and fountains must be pulled in—a symbolization of summer’s end. Yet, as the winterization process takes off, there are also symbols of the seasonal rituals ahead. Christmas decorations often must go up before the weather turns prohibitively cold. That means garland, lights, and other holiday hallmarks are visible to residents months before celebrations begin.

“It can be a little odd to, in September, [be] putting up your Christmas lights. But it’s something that we do,” Hock says. Similarly, there’s some early prep to get outdoor ice rinks ready, and it’s Hock’s team that gets most excited about the setup.

“It seems like everyone’s down there helping with that,” he says, despite the fact that it takes just three staff members to prep the rinks. Hock attributes this to the sense of pride his team takes in their work, especially these projects that impact others in positive ways. “When you drive by, and maybe you have family or kids or relatives in the area—you helped with that project or you helped with that playground or you helped set up that ice arena. [It’s] something that’s a little more visible for them than ‘yeah, I trimmed those trees’.”

Fall maintenance time also proves convenient for spring administrative tasks like flower orders, fertilizer and chemical bids, and equipment purchases. Safety training occurs during this period, too, as summers require more hands on deck.

Though the winterization period may be seasonal in name, it serves as an ideal time for parks teams to catch their collective breath, look ahead to spring, and ensure success for the months to come. But it isn’t always clear when to start.

© Can Stock Photo / eric1513

Changing Weather Patterns Cause Delayed Starts

With weather becoming more unpredictable and extreme across the country, the winterization timetable varies from season to season. Hock’s team plans its calendars by assessing forecasts 15 days out. Snow can fall as early as September, so it’s important to not only plan ahead but also understand local weather patterns. 

For example, early snow tends to be wet and heavy, which puts strain on the city’s plows, but crews can also expect that this snow won’t stick around long. So, projects may be slightly postponed as opposed to being canceled or significantly rescheduled. 

“We just anticipate there’ll be a little bit of a break in there, and then we just have to make sure and schedule, ‘hey, we need to put up holiday decorations in these next three days because it’s going to be warmer and we can make that happen’,” Hock says.

For Lindgren, the Oak Park team uses forecasts and changing patterns to determine which facilities to close and which to keep open longer. With winters starting later each year, the department has had leeway to keep splash pads open even after pools close for the season. A huge factor in this decision-making is equitable access.

“Our restrooms, water fountains, and splash pads serve our community, and we want to keep them open as long as possible,” Lindgren says. He adds that area parks continue to see heavy use throughout the fall, due to youth athletics programs, and amenities like restrooms and water fountains remain essential.

Conditions and needs may vary by city or state, but flexibility is key. Some elements may be able to withstand freezing temperatures and remain operational year-round, like Oak Park’s heated restrooms or shade structures in Urbandale. Some of the latter’s canopy tarps stay up while others in high-wind areas are taken down. Flags on public buildings will stay up, too, but they’ll most likely be replaced once spring starts and winds die down (which is happening later each year).

Other weather considerations include protection of tennis and pickleball courts. The nets come down during cold months, and tennis players typically wait out the season until there’s consistent good weather. But during sporadic bouts of warm temperatures, pickleball players squeeze in some play and complain about the absence of nets. The problem with keeping them up is that players will tighten the tension, and then throughout the periods of freeze and thaw, the footings will be pulled, causing serious damage to the posts. Some players have resorted to bringing their own pickleball kits to the courts. It’s an easy solution, but trouble still abounds because players bring their own shovels to clear snow from the courts. Hock advises them to use plastic-headed shovels to avoid digging into the courts’ protective coating.

Clearer delineation between the seasons would help prevent these sorts of conflicts and mishaps, but with the lack of predictability comes unique problems—and solutions—like these.

Creative Hacks For Smooth Winterization

Generally speaking, unique solutions and creativity come in handy during fall maintenance. Lindgren’s team uses turkey basters to clear water from tight irrigation valve boxes.

“It’s funny to us park guys because our finance team checked the receipts. They flagged it as questionable and called us thinking there was no way we would need a turkey baster!” Lindgren says.

His team has also repurposed used chlorine tablet buckets from city pools as salt buckets at community centers. The locking lids help keep young children out of the salt supply. In that same vein, the Oak Park team reuses old banners as painting tarps, because they’re narrow and waterproof, meaning the paint won’t bleed through. The banners also roll up small and require little storage space.

But ultimately, hacks aside, winterization is all about teamwork and cross-training.

“It is important for our team to be trained on the process and not have it be the job of just a select few,” Lindgren says. “This way, we are able to shut things down much faster with more staff and they get the benefit of learning new skills.”

His department maintains a master checklist throughout the season so that everyone is on the same page and no task goes undone.

“The key to the training is not only knowing where everything is located, but to be thorough.”

Jefferey Spivey is a writer based in Urbandale, Iowa. Reach him at jeffereyspivey@gmail.com.