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Committee reviews facilities master plan; Cascade Park repairs, fountain leak and trailhead among priorities
Summary
Members reviewed excerpts from the 2021 facilities master plan and discussed near-term capital items: Cascade Park utility and plumbing work (estimated ~$260,000), multi-field lighting and Union Street field bids, Essex Woods parking completed, community garden expansion needs, and an organizational assessment included in FY25 planning.
Committee members reviewed selected pages of the facilities master plan (completed in 2021) and discussed capital projects and near-term budget items included in the FY25 planning window.
Tracy Webb, parks and recreation director, said the department uses the 2021 master plan as a working document when preparing capital requests and that many short-term projects from the plan have been completed (for example, Essex Woods parking lot improvements and park lighting work). She said some printed handouts were missing pages at the meeting and staff will follow up to provide the full document to committee members.
The committee discussed Cascade Park in detail. Webb said the landscape management plan and a boundary/topographical survey for Cascade are complete, and that the next critical phase is utility and facility work. She reported an estimate in the master plan “in the neighborhood of $260,000” for work that would include removing existing in-ground mechanicals, improving circulation plumbing and constructing a small utility building with restrooms. Webb also described a leak in the lower fountain pool that has required ongoing repairs and short-term fixes; staff said the fountain’s liner and older repairs are nearing the end of their useful life and that more significant plumbing or infrastructure work may be needed sooner than previously planned.
Members reviewed bridge and trail maintenance needs on the Kanesque (Kanesque?) Extreme Trail; Webb said the bridge structure and piers are sound, but the bridge deck planks were designed to be replaceable and are increasingly in need of maintenance. The department is also exploring a formal trailhead; one local service organization is considering assisting with that project.
Budget and FY25 items discussed included: a request to replace lights at Union Street multi-use fields (staff sought additional funds after initial estimates and later sought roughly $685,000 to replace and do all three fields), topographical surveys, an organizational assessment (currently out to bid) to review staffing and operations, replacement of Sawyer Arena mats (from feasibility study work), and a $120,000 estimate to replace the department’s mobile stage (the city currently uses a partner’s stage for events under an agreement). Webb noted LED lighting would yield electricity savings over time and that bids to do multi-field lighting came in higher than estimated; staff intends to consolidate work to reduce mobilization costs.
The committee also discussed the community gardens at the former Naval Reserve property (spelled in materials as "Beagleard"), which now contain approximately 270 beds and a waiting list of about 33 gardeners. Staff said the site uses raised beds and that parking and circulation improvements were recommended by the master plan; committee members supported follow-up planning focusing on parking and access.
Webb said many of the items in the master plan are used to shape the capital improvement plan and that funding and timelines are influenced by state and federal budgeting cycles.
