Pleasanton parks commissioners review draft two‑year work plan, ask staff to refine priorities for council

Pleasanton Parks and Recreation Department staff presented a draft two‑year work plan and asked the Parks and Recreation Commission on July 10 to rank priorities before staff refines the list for city council review.

Heidi, a Parks and Recreation Department staff member, told commissioners the list was developed by staff in consultation with the department’s landscape architect and park superintendent and aligned with the city’s One Pleasanton strategic plan. “We actually completed all of the items on our work plan, which I think is quite impressive,” Heidi said.

The draft covers the two fiscal years 2025–26 and 2026–27 and groups projects under council priorities such as long‑term fiscal sustainability, protecting core services, community engagement and equity, and infrastructure investment. Staff identified potential work items including updates from the parks and landscape architecture division, trail and pathway resurfacing, review of the facilities master plan, regular review of cemetery operations and fees, and market reviews of golf course rates.

Commissioners suggested additional or higher‑priority items during discussion. Recommendations and requests included expanding the park ambassador and volunteer programs, exploring recreational programming that could become more self‑sustaining, adding nonpotable/recycled water planning for parks, and asking for a concise overview of budget impacts on parks and recreation operations. Commissioners also asked staff to expect projects that will come out of the ongoing facilities master plan update.

Staff said the draft list came from department work plans, the capital improvement program and the One Pleasanton strategic plan; it has not yet been submitted to council. Heidi said staff will take the commission’s ranked priorities, refine schedule and resource needs, and return a shaped work plan for the commission to approve before sending it to council.

The commission also approved the consent calendar at the start of the meeting, a single motion covering the May 8 meeting minutes and a staff review of Assembly Bill 1572’s impacts on the city; the consent motion passed on roll call.

Commissioners asked that informational items be tailored to their needs: several suggested shorter executive summaries or photo highlights rather than long presentations, while others said they value detail about maintenance work that is not visible to residents. Commissioners asked staff to bring back a refined list and, for a number of items, a more detailed agenda report when the commission assigns a high priority.

Less urgent or informational items flagged for continued monitoring include Zippy (the department’s outreach vehicle) scheduling for community events, routine library and recreation annual reports, and quarterly or biannual parks/landscape updates. Staff noted volunteers are already supplementing operations and said volunteer programs will be part of the refined work plan for commission review.

What’s next: commissioners will each provide top‑three priorities to staff; staff will return a prioritized work plan and, for the highest priorities, fuller agenda reports that outline scope, timing and resource implications before Council consideration.