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Parks and Recreation highlights new programs and seeks $500,000 grant for Boundless Backyard expansion
Summary
Parks and Recreation presenter Nate Williams gave the combined Parks, Recreation and Community Center annual report on June 16, outlining program growth, a multi‑phase Boundless Backyard park project and a pending $500,000 matching grant request that would fund phase two of a playground and amenities.
Nate Williams, presenting the 2024 combined Parks, Recreation and Community Center annual report to the City Council on June 16, said the department consolidated services to reduce public confusion, expanded programming and continues developing the Boundless Backyard park off Milwaukee Street.
Williams told the council the department manages about 118 acres of parkland, offers youth sports from toddlers through eighth grade, fitness classes (roughly 70 per week), senior programming that served more than 13,000 meal contacts in 2024, and an aquatics program that completed its first full outdoor season since reopening.
The department reported program counts and facility usage: about 796 youth sports registrations, nearly 971 participants in other programs and strong facility reservations at the community center. Williams emphasized partnerships with the school district — including second‑grade swim lessons that provide four one‑hour visits per school for students — and with local volunteers and donors who helped refurbish playground equipment for new parks.
On capital work, Williams summarized progress at Boundless Backyard: an eighth‑mile walking trail and stormwater detention were completed in 2024; parking, restrooms and the picnic shelter foundation were in place by mid‑2025. He said the city applied in November 2024 for a $500,000 matching grant from a Water Conservation Fund; the department expects an award decision between now and September 2026. Williams said the grant is phase‑sensitive: if not awarded the department would phase playground construction to match available local funding and open the park with the completed trail and basic amenities in the meantime.
Williams described accessibility goals for future playground work — moving beyond mulch-based surfacing toward all‑abilities surfaces and providing shade structures — and said the Boundless Backyard playground footprint will be about 120 by 120 feet for phase two. He told the council that many phase‑one elements (parking, restrooms, trail, shelter concrete) were funded and completed without the matching grant, and that program staff will phase remaining playground features if the grant is not received.
The report also highlighted special events (Veil Fest, MessyMania), partnerships that provide student labor for seasonal tasks (dome assembly/disassembly at the outdoor pool), and continued growth in community center fitness and performance programs.
Council members asked whether the department had a contingency if the matching grant is denied; Williams said the city would proceed with a phased‑build approach using the already committed local match and add features as funding allows.
The council received the report as an informational presentation; no formal vote was required.
