John, the parks director, told the Lebanon Board of Park Commissioners at its October meeting that the parks department has several active projects and pending funding steps for infrastructure work while continuing to host large volunteer efforts and community events.

The director said the Thompson Street building at Abner Longley has been demolished on the south side and had new asphalt installed on the north side; the department is awaiting a reimbursement from the utility tied to the Grant Street phase 2 project before paying for an exterior roof and finishing work. "The building is secured," John said, and "the building restoration will probably be the spring starting in 2026." He said staff has seeded the demo area and stored seasonal equipment there.

The department has put the perimeter path and lighting package around Abner Longley out for bid; John said bids will be opened around Oct. 13 or Oct. 15 and that the project likely will move forward next spring. He described work done on the Big Four Trail to grind and patch uneven areas and said crews and contractor Triangle Asphalt addressed several problem spots.

John credited contractors and other city departments for recent repairs and line striping: "Triangle Asphalt also came in and put the coating of asphalt down," he said, and he thanked the Department of Public Works for repainting parking lines and helping with trail repairs.

On recreation amenities, John reported the new pickleball and tennis courts are consistently busy and that three bids for a gate at the Memorial Park pickleball area have been received; he said the lowest bid is being considered but the department is still determining how to finance the gate. "We got three bids in and, obviously, the lower one," he said, adding that financing decisions are pending.

John described volunteer and grant-supported work in September. The department hosted Eli Lilly's Global Day of Service, which he said brought 475 volunteers who worked about four hours that morning and whose combined contribution totaled about 1,900 hours of work across parks and downtown cleanups. He said the company and volunteers helped paint fire hydrants, clean trails and assist other departments. "It is just amazing what gets done," John said.

The parks department also received a $10,000 award from the solid-waste grant program; John said the funds will buy refurbished materials and new small-park items for the dog park, including jumps and benches. He told commissioners the dog-park registration stood at about 375 active users and that the program charges a $40 annual fee to maintain access and monitor vaccine records.

On data and counters, John said the department has access to a short-term Placer ID program through Communications Director Joe LePage that could provide visitor counts for locations such as the Big Four Trail and Stone Eater Bike Park, but that the license is time-limited and staff are working to extract usage numbers before access expires.

On budgeting, John said the City Council approved an additional appropriation to cover year-end shortfalls; he thanked the council for the support but did not provide the appropriation amount during the meeting. The board handled two routine formal actions after the director's report: it approved the minutes from the September meeting and approved the claims presented for payment by voice vote.

The director listed upcoming events and operational notes, including Pumpkins in the Park on Oct. 25 (11 a.m.–2 p.m., $5 per person), a Veterans Day drive-through hosted by the YMCA on Nov. 10, and the city Christmas parade the first Saturday in December. He also said Seashore Waterpark has been winterized and that maintenance crews continue fall aeration, seeding and tree planting as weather permits.

During the meeting commissioners asked for follow-up numbers on park-amenity usage and for a financing plan for the pickleball gate; John agreed to pursue usage data from Placer ID while the access remains available and to return with cost and financing details for the gate.