City parks staff and consultant HKGI presented a 10-year parks master plan and a 2026-focused five-year capital plan during the City Council'APRC joint meeting on Oct. 14, and the council indicated support for the plan's direction and guiding principles.

"Tonight, we'll just talk a little bit about the plan overview, kinda try to hit the highlights," Kevin Clark of HKGI told the council during the joint session. Clark summarized outreach that included public surveys, focus groups and community events; he said the needs assessment found Eagan's system "is doing a lot of things really well" but highlighted coming asset-management tasks such as playground replacements and aging facility maintenance.

Jared (parks staff) and Clark said the next decade will likely involve 25 to 30 playground replacements, ongoing attention to athletic-field capacity and partnerships (school districts, county and private partners) to preserve field supply. The plan emphasizes asset management, equitable distribution of projects across the city, and continued diversification of play features, including more inclusive and "destination" play areas.

Park Superintendent Chris Fleck reviewed the proposed 2026 CIP items: replacement playgrounds, Northview tennis-court rehabilitation (a partnership with the school district to consider conversion/striping for pickleball and possible lighting), a Cory Park shelter and restroom refresh, smaller correction projects and a maintenance/garage building for Central Park operations. Estimated 2026 park CIP spending in the packet was roughly $1.8 million; staff said later years in the five-year sheet are placeholders to be refined.

Council members and commissioners asked several clarifying questions. Councilor Hanson and others pressed for attention to equity and services for aging residents; staff pointed to expanded pickleball courts and programming for older adults. Council members also raised athletic-field supply concerns after recent loss of access to private or school-owned fields; staff emphasized partnership strategies rather than unilateral city acquisition in most cases.

The Parks & Recreation Commission members at the table introduced themselves and participated in the discussion; Jared thanked commissioners for their ongoing involvement. The council voted in workshop consensus to support the plan's direction and asked staff to return the 2026 CIP as a consent item at a regular meeting.

Ending: Staff will finalize the master plan document and supplementary asset-management tools (GIS inventory, project-evaluation worksheet) and return the 2026 CIP list to council for formal approval.