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City staff outlines park safety and maintenance plan; seeks funding after inspection and insurance review
Summary
City staff presented a parks safety and infrastructure assessment covering Jensen, Central and Sycamore parks, identified immediate safety fixes, estimated costs for key items and said an insurance‑sponsored safety study will provide a prioritized list for future capital work.
City of Willows staff presented an assessment of safety and maintenance needs at Jensen Park, Central Park and Sycamore Park and recommended a mix of immediate repairs and longer‑term capital work, with estimated costs and next steps.
Community Development and Services Director Joe Bentancourt told the council the review was requested by the mayor to identify park deficiencies in safety, infrastructure and maintenance. Staff inspected playground safety surfacing, benches, tables, fencing, a gazebo roof, bathrooms, storage sheds and site electrical at the three parks and provided photos showing deteriorated rubberized playground surfacing, rotting trees, exposed metal edges, split or warped picnic tables, and other trip and cut hazards.
Bentancourt said the parks operating budget lines most relevant to the work are a special department expense line ($5,500) and $1,500 for building maintenance, together totaling about $7,000 annually; utility costs are separate. He gave a specific example for Jensen Park: staff recommended adding four inches of crumb rubber across about 1,500 square yards of playground area (rough estimate), which would…
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