Parks meeting tonight centered on ‘greening up’ park

The South Kitsap Parks and Recreation Board of Commissioners will meet tonight for the second time this month to discuss master planning and a new project that might further introduce the community to the benefits of bio-solids and re-use water.

The pilot project, headed by Karcher General Manager Dick Fitzwater, hopes to demonstrate the effectiveness of Class-A biosolids and re-use water in turning the park’s brown lawn green.

“We’re asking (the board) if we can do a pilot project showing how Class-A biosolids and Class-A re-use water can be made to green the park up,” Fitzwater said.

According to Fitzwater, Karcher representatives have defined an area of the park near the batting cages for the project.

“We’re going to put some (biosolids) and water on it to show how we can re-use waste materials with great results,” Fitzwater said.

Materials for the project would come from the wastewater treatment facility in Port Orchard. Fitzwater said he is excited about the possibilities the project might open up and cites the board’s enthusiasm, as well.

“Friday afternoon I met with (Parks Board Chair) Larry Walker, and he was somewhat enthused by it,” Fitzwater said.

“It would basically be a demonstration to the public and the park would benefit,” said Walker. “He wants to use (biosolids) as fertilizer and water the fields with re-use water.”

Biosolids contain organisms that are developed within the plant to clean the water as it goes through secondary treatment. The organisms are taken out of the water, (at this point the material is known as “sludge,”) then put into an anaerobic digester where the organisms thicken into a fertilizer comprised on biosolids already popular in the agricultural community. The treated water is called re-use water and is safe for everything but drinking.

Fitzwater will attend tonight’s meeting to further explain the potential project to the Board and field questions.

Ron Cleveland, owner of the local Renaissance Faire, will also be in attendance to further discuss his plans to make South Kitsap Com-munity Park the permanent home of his Faire.

Walker also reports that the board is drawing ever closer to a resolution with regard to its contract with Annapolis Water.

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