Dozens of Sunnyvale residents urged the Town Council on Feb. 10 to speed upgrades to parks and youth-sports fields, pressing for artificial turf, timed lights and safer playing surfaces while asking council to preserve mature trees at Samuel Farm North.

The comments came during the meeting’s public-comment period, when parents, volunteer coaches and school employees described crowded, damaged fields and late-night practices held in the dark. They said upgrades would reduce injuries, ease pressure on school facilities and improve year-round access for youth programs.

“Many of our programs go weeks without practicing because the few resources we do have are uncared for or unavailable,” said Jordan Bingham, a Sunnyvale resident who coaches and serves on a volunteer sports board. “The addition of turf fields is absolutely necessary. Turf is less maintenance and available year round.”

Speakers described cracked ground, exposed roots and uncovered utility holes. J. D. Hearn, a licensed real estate broker and head coach for a 10-and-under baseball team, said volunteer coaches often struggle to run safe, effective practices and asked the council to prioritize durable surfaces and lighting. “We need upgraded facilities instead of relying on outdated dirt fields,” Hearn said.

Several speakers asked the council to avoid large-scale clearing of trees. “Tearing down the beautiful evergreens at Samuel Farm North to build a sports complex is not the answer,” said Hearn. He and others suggested adding trails through wooded areas and improving existing grounds rather than removing trees to build a tournament-scale complex that would draw large out‑of‑town events.

Veronica Martinez, who said she lives across from Jobson Park, urged planners to preserve some grassed, open space if fields are converted to turf, noting that turf can limit informal uses such as pickup volleyball or cricket. “There isn’t any open space available for families to participate with their families in any sport that they want to pick up because there is no grass,” Martinez said.

Other residents suggested partnering with the school district to improve or repurpose existing fields and to consider converting the former middle-school site into a reliable, cost-effective playing field. “I think the idea of partnering with the school district on that old middle school field and moving that along is a valuable resource that can be done very cost effectively and timely manner,” said Nick Talbot.

Council did not take action on the public‑comment requests at the Feb. 10 meeting; public comments closed before later agenda items. Council discussion of parks and the town’s long‑term parks planning was not on the consent agenda and will be handled in future meetings or work sessions, the mayor said.

The remarks reflect sustained public attention to youth sports capacity. Several speakers noted repeated conversations at prior meetings and thanked council members for listening while urging action soon to improve safety and access.