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Parks staff report land dedications, winter operations and tree work; Sand Prairie burn planned
Summary
City staff told commissioners the city will accept two parkland dedications, is maintaining the City Park ice rink, continues trail and tree pruning work, is planning prescribed burns at Sand Prairie with federal partners, and expects to advertise seasonal hiring for summer positions soon.
City parks staff gave a multipart update on parkland dedications, winter operations, tree work and upcoming seasonal hiring.
Julie reported that two parcels will be dedicated to the city as parkland soon: a trail segment in the Lindeman subdivision (the trail from Court Street north) and a parcel in the Hickory Hill northeast corner that was owned by ACT and is widely considered part of the park; the latter dedication is likely to appear on the next City Council meeting agenda.
On winter operations, Tyler (parks/ISAS staff) said crews have been clearing sidewalks and trail networks and have increased trail snow removal capacity since 2020; he noted the city now plows roughly 10 more miles of trails than in 2020. "If it drifts completely shut, sometimes we can't get to some of those places, but we try our best on those," Tyler said. He also reported the City Park ice skating pond is open as of the meeting day, subject to weather, and cautioned the city does not always have prolonged ice seasons.
Forestry and ecosystem work
Tyler described ongoing pruning and forestry mulching to remove invasive shrubs such as honeysuckle and said winter is the primary season for pruning work. Staff are planning tree plantings in spring and have applied for a roughly $40,000 grant plus an additional $10,000 grant for canopy work; if grant funds are not available, plantings will be scaled down.
Tyler also said staff plan prescribed burns in the spring for several sites; Sand Prairie (an undeveloped prairie remnant) was burned last year and staff will coordinate future burns with partners including the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and The Nature Conservancy. He said a plant inventory conducted by a Drake University expert is being finalized.
Hiring and facilities
Parks staff said they will advertise for seasonal temporary hires within the week and expect to fill 50–60 seasonal positions for the coming year; the parks division has 23 full‑time staff who are supported by the seasonal workforce. Staff also noted maintenance activity at the senior center and that parks staff have been assisting with those fixes.
Ending
Staff asked the commission to be patient with trail priorities during heavy winter weather and noted continued outreach to recruit seasonal workers.
