New grass may be coming to La Jolla’s Scripps Park after years of local users lamenting its condition.

A plan discussed at the Oct. 28 La Jolla Parks & Beaches meeting would raise funds in coming weeks to help replace grass at the park starting with the new year.

The condition of the grass at Scripps Park, which is part of the La Jolla Park Coastal Historic District that was listed earlier this year on the National Register of Historic Places, has declined in recent years.

LJP&B board member Ann Dynes said local volunteers have met with San Diego Parks & Recreation Department staff members several times in recent months and that one of the projects the groups agreed could be done is to replace the grass.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Dynes said, vendors using the park and a lack of maintenance resulted in huge gaps in the sod.”

The project area would be in front of the Scripps Park restroom facility and in front of the La Jolla Bridge Club and Point La Jolla, among other places.

One patch would cost $13,000 and another would be $11,000, Dynes said. However, that price tag is for things such as city permits and labor and does not include needed fencing and the actual sod.

Therefore, Dynes said she wants to contribute financially to the project to help speed the process and encouraged other community members to do the same.

“This is an opportunity for all of us to invest in one way or another in this historic district,” Dynes said. “Scripps Park is our crown jewel … its the face of La Jolla.”

LJP&B President Bob Evans said he “loves this idea” because the park is “barren” in some areas.

In his correspondence with city representatives, Evans said, he gets the impression “the city is really committed to getting this installed correctly.”

Representatives of the Parks & Recreation Department did not immediately comment to the La Jolla Light.

However, LJP&B board member Sally Miller noted that with frequent use, “the sod that was put in front of the bathroom was gone almost immediately. I know we like grass, but grass is not going to survive there.”

She asked for something in writing from the city about the sods survivability and how it will be maintained.

However, Dynes argued that upcoming winter weather conditions mean the time for this work is now.

“It needs to be timed in coordination with what we hope will be a nice rainy winter,” she said.

The idea, she said, is for work to begin at the start of 2025 and for the fencing to come down by spring.

Evans said the board will launch a fundraising campaign for the project and added that the group is working with the San Diego Parks Foundation — of which Dynes is a founding member — to supply materials.

People who donate through lajollaparksbeaches.org can designate their contribution for Scripps Park Sod or Scripps Park Grass.

The La Jolla Parks & Beaches board meets Oct. 28 at the La Jolla Recreation Center. (Ashley Mackin-Solomon)

Other LJP&B news

Windansea plaques: As part of an ongoing project to put bluff erosion mitigation measures in place at Windansea Beach and build a belvedere, or gazebo, Friends of Windansea has been granted permission from the city to raise funds for and install plaques on the beach access stairs, said LJP&B and Friends member Melinda Merryweather.

She said there would be four plaques, each placed in the ground at the four beach access stairways. They would be 2½ by 10 inches and cost $25,000 each for purchase, installation and naming rights.

People ask us all the time about a plaque there, so you can have your name at the top of the stairs at Windansea Beach,” Merryweather said.

Proceeds would cover the erosion mitigation part of the project.

Next meeting: Given that its next two meetings normally would fall during the November and December holidays, the La Jolla Parks & Beaches board will meet in early December as a combination November/December meeting. It is scheduled for 4 p.m. Monday, Dec. 9, at the La Jolla/Riford Library, 7555 Draper Ave. Learn more at lajollaparksbeaches.org.