Parks board updates: Japanese garden finished, Forestry Creek paths await floodplain permit; John Barnard Park ahead of schedule

Jennifer Ward, parks project coordinator for the City of Dallas, told the Parks Board that the Japanese garden restoration is complete and donor plaques have been installed near the bridge.

The project update placed the Forestry Creek path construction as a capital project with grant funding, but Ward said the city must obtain a floodplain permit under revised FEMA floodplain rules effective Dec. 1, which has extended the permitting timeline. Ward said she still expects the paths to be constructed this fiscal year and that construction should occur later this spring.

Ward reported that work is underway at John Barnard Park. Contractors have installed a perimeter fence and excavated the base for the basketball court; she said the project now looks likely to finish in summer rather than fall. Lone Oak Park is in early construction with a contractor under contract and a target completion in May, Ward said.

The western section of the Furvilla Trail was delayed after staff discovered steeper grades and a narrow easement that required engineering design work. Ward said the design is complete but construction funding is insufficient this year; the trail is pushed to fiscal year 2026–27.

Pickleball courts at City Park remain under active review. Ward said geotechnical work identified an old city pool under part of the site that must be addressed, increasing construction and mitigation costs. The project’s estimated cost rose from roughly $700,000–$750,000 to about $1.7 million after additional mitigation, engineering and parking work. That increase led staff to seek an Oregon Parks and Recreation grant (state lottery funds) that would reimburse roughly 60 percent of construction costs; Ward said the city council approved the resolution needed for the grant application and the application was due April 1. If awarded, construction would be a summer 2026 project, with bidding in early winter and grant agreements in the fall.

Ward said the pickleball location was chosen in part because city leaders expect courts at that site to host tournaments, bring visitors to downtown and create visibility at an entry to the city’s main commercial area. She also said alternative sites had been considered and that moving the courts farther west would increase construction costs and floodplain mitigation needs.

Ward identified System Development Charges (SDCs) as a major funding constraint: SDCs are already allocated across several parks projects, and the higher pickleball cost would limit the department’s ability to fund other capital work from that source.

Board members asked about neighborhood outreach and homeowner concerns at John Barnard Park; Ward said at least one homeowner had requested direct backyard access, which staff discouraged for safety and landscape protection. Ward also said the city purchased a full-size torii gate for the Japanese garden and has installed donor plaques acknowledging sponsors, contractors and community contributors.

Ward said she remains cautiously optimistic about state grant funding and noted the Oregon Parks grant uses state lottery dollars rather than federal pass-through funds, which she said makes the award less exposed to federal-level policy changes.

For projects that were delayed because of higher costs, Ward said staff will keep designs “shelf ready” so construction can proceed once funding is available.