Chris Ammerman, Wilsonville parks and recreation director, briefed the City Council on Oct. 20 about park acreage growth, aging amenities and near-term infrastructure repair costs as part of a three-meeting series on sustaining park service levels.

"We currently have 293 acres of developed parks, which equals 19 parks managed," Ammerman said, adding that the parks maintenance and operations division has 13.13 full-time-equivalent positions, which equates to about 22.3 acres maintained per FTE. He contrasted that with an industry best practice of about 12 acres per FTE.

Ammerman presented a map and a list of new properties coming online: three western Villabois regional parks (Cavallo Park, Longka Park, Tivoli Park) and several east-side properties including a Frog Pond neighborhood park, Trailhead Park and the Beckman Creek Interceptor Trail. He said the combined additions total roughly 26 acres, with about 14 acres on the west side and 11.27 acres on the east side. Several of those parks are currently HOA-owned and open to the public; Ammerman said a five-year turnover clock triggered when the parks opened in 2003 will transfer ownership to the city in 2028 for some Villabois parks.

Ammerman noted recent projects (Sophia Park playground, Berry Field trail) and described near-term capital needs: the community center siding replacement (about $250,000) and forest shelter repairs (about $100,000). He emphasized that replacing or repairing park amenities in today's dollars can be costly and that staff will return in November with the parks division's recommended sustainable funding plan prepared with financial consultants (FCS Group).

Councilors asked about workload and service levels. Councilor Shevlin asked if crews are able to maintain current standards; Ammerman said yes for now but that the department wants to be proactive given more acreage incoming and aging assets. Councilor Cunningham urged council attention to the long-term cost of accepting HOA parks into the city's maintenance inventory and said future residents will bear those costs in rates and fees. Council President Berry asked how residents know whether a park is HOA-maintained; Ammerman said parks that are open to the public remain public spaces and residents can call the parks office to confirm maintenance responsibility.

Ammerman said the Beckman Creek Interceptor Trail would be maintained by the parks department even though it is not a traditional park. He closed by saying staff will return with a funding plan next month to address staffing and capital replacement needs.

Ending: Parks staff will present a sustainable funding plan in November; councilors highlighted the importance of clear communication about ownership/maintenance of neighborhood parks and noted the timing of several rate updates and funding pressures across city services.