On The Money: Surplus Sod

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) - Ron Riola walks his dog George nearly every day around McKinley Park in Sacramento. But Riola couldn't miss spotting something that didn't belong after the renovation of the rose garden.
He discovered hundreds of rolls of surplus sod, just sitting in the parking lot – and ironically blocking the handicap spaces.

"So I figure 50 rolls to a pallet," Riola told CBS 13. "That's 5 pallets plus. That's quite a bit of waste."

Wasteful he says because the excess sod was apparently discarded after the renovation and just left there. Riola stated, "The next day we saw this excess and the next day - and lo and behold now it's two week that it has been sitting here."

Somebody just dumped the dirt and left it bleaching in the sun for two weeks – at a time when other parks – could really use a little green.

"That would be an amazing idea," said Rink Sanford. The Southside Park enthusiast added he would welcome having new turf. "I mean that way the kids could be out here enjoying the park year round."

That would make these kids happy – especially when it comes to skateboarding and playing football in the park.

"It would be better if there was grass so if I fall it won't hurt so bad," said Jett Sanford.

City officials admit they bought too much turf – and spent the last two weeks trying to figure out what to do with it. But after a phone call from CBS 13, they've now decided to sift the sod to Southside Park.

And today, the city of Sacramento did indeed bring four pallets of sod – worth about $300 to Southside Park. As for dumping the dirt in the handicap spaces – the city admits – that was a mistake.

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