The sod will be placed in front of the pavilion restrooms.

A portion of Scripps Park will get new sod this winter thanks to efforts from a local foundation and the city of San Diego. 

The sod will be installed in front of the Scripps Park Pavilion, on the east side facing The Cove beach, replacing that which is already damaged and packed into dirt.

The installation will probably happen in the winter and have a fence around it for a few months to allow the sod to take root.

The project will not include the bare dirt adjacent to the Coast Blvd. sidewalk; the sidewalk is earmarked for a $750,000 widening in the city of San Diego’s 2025 budget.

The new sod will be funded through donations to the San Diego Parks Foundation, foundation co-founder Ann Dynes said at the Oct 28 La Jolla Parks & Beaches meeting.

The foundation was established in 2018 to help improve city parks and recreation spaces.

The San Diego Parks Foundation will likely give the money for the sod directly to the chosen sod vendor, Dynes, also a board member of LJP&B, said; the San Diego Parks & Recreation Department will supply the labor.

Some LJP&B members advocated for artificial turf instead, noting the previous installation of sod deteriorated quickly. 

Dynes and LJP&B President Bob Evans said that was discussed, but the city is confident that with fewer sidewalk vendors in the park now, the grass will hold.