Maintenance division outlines capital work: $5M paving, playground and pool rehabs, tree program and new field of tech pilots

Phil Luckett, speaking for the consolidated maintenance division, gave the Metropolitan Board of Parks and Recreation an annual update on Jan. 7 detailing capital projects completed in 2024 and near-term operational improvements.

Luckett said maintenance oversees roughly 16,000 acres, 178 parks and more than 100 miles of greenway, and that the division completed dozens of capital projects last year. "We spent about $5,000,000 last year in paving," he told the board, and highlighted major paving and greenway restorations, playground replacements at multiple parks, an extensive pool rehabilitation project and ongoing work on historic structures.

Why it matters: the division is addressing a backlog of deferred maintenance across the park system, work that affects park safety, accessibility and long-term costs. Luckett also described programmatic changes intended to increase efficiency — including planned expansion of autonomous electric mowing on open turf areas and a forthcoming City Works work-order system to replace the department's aging, paper-based process.

Key projects and details cited by maintenance - Playgrounds: major replacements and surface repairs at Fannie Mae Dees ("Dragon Park"), Reservoir Park, Pitts Park, Schuette Park, Morgan and several Metro Parks located on school sites; Luckett described age-related replacement needs and separate sections for different age groups. - Paving and greenways: approximately $5 million in paving across 30-plus projects; Stones River Greenway reconstruction to correct subbase issues; Cedar Hill Park repaving and lighting conduit work ($1.1 million in conduit/wiring for park lighting installation noted for one project). - Pool rehabilitation: an institutional pool received a full rehabilitation involving removal of multiple plaster layers and replacement of tile and mechanical systems; Luckett described multi-month work and replacement of heaters and dehumidification units. - Sports fields and lighting: new lighting installed for baseball fields used by RBI and new purpose-built pickleball courts (four pickleball-only courts and two tennis-only courts) at 7 Oaks. - Trees and landscaping: the tree crew planted 324 trees on park property last year; ongoing Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) removals and Phase 2 removals are underway with about 1,200 trees in Phase 2; staff asked for additional crew support to accelerate removals. - Technology pilots and process improvements: staff described a planned autonomous electric mowing contract for open fields (pilot expanded pending procurement), and the upcoming City Works work-order system with field iPads to allow users to submit requests and receive completion notifications.

Board follow-up and public process: board members asked about maintenance scope (including work for flood properties and some library sites maintained under contract with Metro Water), turf quality concerns for autonomous mowers, and how the public can report park maintenance issues. Luckett said flood properties are managed under contract for Metro Water and that new work-order technology will allow the public to submit requests and receive status emails.

Direct quote: "We spent about $5,000,000 last year in paving," Luckett told the board.

Next steps: staff will continue capital projects and begin rollout of the digital work-order system and continue piloting autonomous equipment where turf quality and site conditions suit the technology. The division said additional capital funding recently appropriated by Metro Council will support deferred maintenance work in the coming fiscal cycle.