Parks committee reviews budget, CIP items and playground options; staff to return with bids and design details

The Atherton Parks and Recreation Committee received a December 2024 fiscal update and discussed capital-improvement priorities for Hobart Palmer Park, including playground design, pavilion flooring and exterior bathrooms.

Robert Baron, a town staff member, told the committee the tennis fund for fiscal year 2024–25 had a budget of $57,500 and, as of December, showed $6,898 in expenditures — “we're at 12 percent of the expenditure for this current year,” he said. He also noted fiscal year 2023–24 tennis expenditures totaled $56,512, and most of that was pickleball-related work, court fencing and court restoration costs.

The nut of the discussion was the town’s broader parks budget and planned capital work. Baron said park maintenance (department 57) accounts for the largest share of park spending and that year-to-date maintenance expenditures were well below the annual budget. He summarized capital outlay and one-time projects from 2023–24 — including roughly $80,000 for a decomposed-granite pathway and about $60,000 for a playground replacement — and outlined items planned or under review for 2024–25.

Committee members pressed for more detailed line-item reporting for departments 57 (park maintenance) and 58 (park programs) at the next meeting so they can see why…