Parks master plan lays out $25 million funding scenario; maintenance building, senior center and auditorium top list

Darren (staff member) told the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board on April 14 that staff and consultants have drafted a prioritized list of park projects to align with a potential renewal of the city’s capital improvement half‑cent sales tax.

“We were starting off that way — there are a lot of ifs here,” Darren said while presenting a handout of suggested projects, stressing the draft nature of the list and several budget assumptions.

City staff estimated that renewing the existing half‑cent capital improvement sales tax and applying a 2 percent annual growth rate would yield roughly $24.5–$25 million over an eight‑year renewal term. If the city split that total roughly in half between emergency response and parks, Darren said parks would have about $12.5 million to allocate; staff emphasized emergency‑response needs had not yet submitted their full priorities.

Why it matters: board members and staff framed the discussion as a way to produce a vetted, public priority list that the mayor and an eventual citizen committee could use if the council places a renewal question on the 2026 ballot. Staff also said a separate half‑cent transportation sales tax that funds street projects and federal grant matches is being discussed for renewal on the same ballot year; those transportation funds would remain the primary source for trail work and federal matches.

Key proposals and numbers discussed by staff and board members included: - Park maintenance/maintenance shop: staff said roughly $1.5 million is a working estimate for a new maintenance building, with a higher rough‑order‑of‑magnitude of about $1.9 million when contingency and paving are included. Darren and other staff asked a city building and facilities committee to vet requirements and recommend a final scope before council consideration. - Senior center / fairgrounds option: a large new multiuse building at the fairgrounds or a refurbished auditorium could house a senior center and year‑round uses such as pickleball courts or an expo area. Consultants’ ballpark figures discussed during the meeting ranged from about $5 million to $7 million for substantial new construction; Darren said a 15,000‑square‑foot building at about $275 per square foot would be under $6 million in his estimate. - City auditorium upgrades: board members and staff said replacing or upgrading HVAC and windows remains a priority; staff reported about $673,000 still allocated from prior capital funds for the auditorium and additional funds may be recommended. - Pool house: staff said the pool‑house renovation already had budgeted capital funds of roughly $3.89 million across two years; the consultant KAI returned an estimate near $4.75 million, and staff proposed shifting $100,000 into that budget to help close the gap. - Turf and field projects: the soccer association’s turf proposals were discussed; staff suggested $1.5 million could fund at least one new turf field and possibly two depending on scope and outside funding. A million dollars was suggested as an estimate for replacing Phoenix Center tennis courts with post‑tension concrete or equivalent materials. - Lakeview improvements: Washington Youth Sports Association requests (new concession stand, field reconfigurations, equipment shed, parking) were discussed; association representatives are pursuing fundraising and some costs presented by staff included multi‑million estimates for full builds (e.g., $2–2.5M for fields, $2M for a concession building in one estimate provided to staff).

Board members repeatedly emphasized that many projects will require partner funding, fundraising or phased implementation. Darren said fundraising by community groups and the chamber would be welcome: “we won't turn down a check if somebody wants to go ahead and ask you.”

Staff also reported items already moving forward: the restroom addition/renovation at the riverfront has a notice to proceed and a council award to Franklin County Construction was reported, and staff will coordinate contractor staging during high‑use events. Bank stabilization and riverfront erosion work remain active topics with planned site visits by an MDC representative and discussions with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Next steps and process items noted in the meeting: staff asked board members to submit edits and priorities to the master‑plan consultant by April 14 so the consultant can produce a final draft. The building and facilities committee (two council members and staff) will inspect maintenance and public works yard needs before recommending projects and scopes to the council. Staff also said emergency‑response priorities had not yet been received and could alter final splits between parks and emergency response funding.

The board did not take a formal vote on project prioritization. The meeting ended with administrative reminders about the April 14 deadline to submit comments to the master‑plan consultant and further committee and council review to follow.