The Glendale City Council on Aug. 26 approved final designs and purchase agreements with KOMPAN for two playground replacement projects — Adams Square Mini Park and Mayor’s Bicentennial Park — and authorized related appropriations from LA County Measure A funds.

Staff said both playgrounds exceeded their recommended lifespans and that the projects are 100% funded through the city’s Measure A allocation from the Los Angeles County Regional Park and Open Space District. The council authorized dispensing with competitive bidding under a cooperative purchasing contract (Omnia Partners) and approved purchase orders with KOMPAN for the two projects.

The council-approved purchase amounts in the staff report are $487,441.20 for the Adams Square Mini Park playground replacement plus a 5% contingency of $24,372.06 (total not to exceed $511,813.26), and $667,702.15 for the Mayor’s Bicentennial Park project plus a 5% contingency of $33,385.11 (total not to exceed $701,087.26). Staff also requested and council approved appropriations from Measure A funds: $44,536.08 to Adams Square and $227,208.15 to Mayor’s Bicentennial Park to cover additional costs associated with purchase, installation and site improvements.

Parks staff member Mister Bolanikian said the city had previously appropriated $500,000 for Adams Square and $475,000 for Mayor’s Bicentennial and that the totals now requested reflect added costs for shade structures, site furnishings and surfacing. Bolanikian described outreach that produced 186 survey responses for Adams Square and 152 for Mayor’s Park; the Adams design is a custom truck-themed wooden playground built from Robinia (black locust) and includes transfer platforms and ground-level elements for accessibility. The Mayor’s Bicentennial design is an owl-themed, nature-inspired playground KOMPAN staff described as KOMPAN’s first owl-themed installation in Southern California.

Mitchell Fink, a KOMPAN representative, described Robinia wood as a durable, untreated wood used in marine applications and said KOMPAN owns a sustainable supply and that tariffs are not being passed through to the city. Fink said the custom structures typically require about 4 to 4½ months to manufacture and ship once the city places an order. KOMPAN representatives noted a 10-year warranty on the wood product and complementary service in the first two years after installation.

Public commenter Beth Brooks praised the designs but urged prioritizing local sourcing to reduce freight and tax costs; she said she saw freight and tax listed at about $2,200,000 in project documents and urged exploring local alternatives. Council members asked about the premium for custom designs; staff said the custom option added roughly 20% to costs compared with a standard product in the same footprint but that the custom approach creates a signature park and includes additional site furnishings and shade requested by neighborhood groups.

Council members also raised equity and pipeline concerns, asking staff to consider Measure A allocations for parks across the city and preserve funding for higher-need neighborhoods. The council approved the design, purchase orders and appropriations in a voice/roll-call sequence with Council member Asadarian, Council member Brotman, Council member Garpetian, Council member Kasakhian and Mayor Ara Najarian voting yes.