Parks staff present Riverside restroom repairs, Legacy Park and pump-track plans; Harry Gardner volunteers cited

Sean Roe of Public Works and Alyssa, parks staff, presented the parks portion of the 2026 budget to the Cowlitz County Board of Commissioners and described a set of maintenance items and capital projects including Riverside restroom upgrades, a Riverside Legacy Park project and a community-designed pump track.

Roe said the county maintains 11 parks with two full-time park FTEs and typically three seasonal summer help positions. He said most parks revenue comes from bookings such as pavilion rentals or campsites, and that repairs-and-maintenance needs fluctuate with projects. Roe identified the Riverside restroom project as a major near-term item: four restrooms at Riverside, two remodeled previously with an RCO grant, and two remaining restrooms dating to the 1970s that need plumbing and Americans with Disabilities Act updates.

Alyssa described the proposed Legacy Park project as a two-stage effort. The first stage would replace a playground with two conceptual designs; staff plan to take the concepts to local elementary schools so students can vote on the final playground model. She said the pump-track element would be designed with local bike-enthusiast input and would serve a wide range of users (from balance bikes to BMX), not motorized vehicles.

Savannah Clement of Public Services said rural development funding from the county, together with RCO and other local accounts, helped complete the funding package for the Legacy Park concept: "So we're pretty excited," she said, thanking the board for county rural-development support that helped tip the project toward full funding.

Staff noted a volunteer group, Friends of Harry Gardner Park, performs significant maintenance at that park; the county separates Harry Gardner's budget lines because of the volunteers and associated revenues for campsites and RV sites. Staff said the county is discussing but has not finalized possible fee changes for tent and RV sites at Harry Gardner; current policy limits stays to seven days with a required three-day departure thereafter.

On smaller items, commissioners asked whether pickleball lines could be painted; staff said lines had been painted three weeks earlier and that the site includes four pickleball courts (two with nets). Staff also said the county had considered but did not secure a repairs-and-maintenance grant for the Riverside work and that some RCO funding had supported prior restroom remodels.

No formal decisions or votes were recorded in the provided transcript excerpt; staff sought commission guidance and flagged items that may return for further action or fee-schedule changes.