Parks and Recreation outlines grant‑backed Kiwanis and sports‑complex projects, portable lights and pool resurfacing

Parks and Recreation officials told commissioners they will use a mix of grant funding, donations and county match to pursue multiple projects at Kiwanis Park and the sports complex, including ADA play features, dugouts, tennis/pickleball resurfacing and portable light towers.

Director Denise Whitehead said a Land and Water Conservation Fund grant covers 50% of several Kiwanis Park projects; the department budgeted its 50% match but expects outside donations and other grants to offset much of that share. ‘‘Most of this is grant funded projects and I'm still working on getting donations or community support for the other half of the County’s responsibility,’’ she said.

Planned Kiwanis work includes replacement dugouts, an ADA‑accessible play feature and bocce courts; the department said the ADA play item also has a separate donor and a T‑Mobile grant contributing funding. Parks requested portable field lights so teams can practice and play on additional fields; the department currently owns two portable light towers and requested two more.

At the sports complex, capital priorities include pool resurfacing to repair ‘‘pop outs’’ in the pool surface, chain‑link fence replacement, pavilion and restroom flooring repairs and renovations to one of the smaller baseball fields to expand its use. The pool resurfacing has been deferred and is a recurring capital request; Parks staff said engineering and bidding have taken substantial time.

Whitehead said the department has increased efforts to generate program revenue (facility rentals, registration fees and grants) so taxpayer support can focus on maintenance. Commissioners asked for a brief summary of the major park projects so they can better answer constituent questions; staff agreed to provide those highlights.