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Parks director reports new Knights Landing park, completed Prop 68 projects and staffing and infrastructure pressures
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Summary
General Services reported opening Knights Landing Community Park, completing most Prop 68 projects and taking over swim programming at Tule Pool, while flagging staffing shortfalls, aging infrastructure and maintenance costs across the 17-park county system.
Yolo County's parks division presented an annual status report to the Board of Supervisors on July 22 highlighting new park openings, completed grant projects and several operational challenges.
Ryan Pistacchini, director of general services, and park planner Emily Huerta described accomplishments including opening the 7.26-acre Knights Landing Community Park with two playgrounds, restrooms, sports fields and courts; construction of an expanded parking lot at Grasslands Dog Park; completion of the Esparza Community Park playground replacement; a new solar carport at a county campground with battery storage; and continued progress on most Prop 68-funded projects.
Huerta said parks staff have assumed responsibility for swim programming at Tuleman Pool for the first time this year and contracted and hired lifeguards and a pool manager; the county plans a replaster and retiling for a pool that is temporarily out of service. She described the YoloNeon pilot for nonprofit back-office capacity, the county's partnership with resources conservation districts on weed/pollinator projects and a tire cleanup operation at Vernon Nichols Regional Park conducted by the Yochetti Dehiyinto Nation.
Pistacchini and Huerta noted operating challenges: the independent staffing study recommended 1 full-time equivalent for Knights Landing but a county budget request for that staffing was not funded; the division reassigned staff and modified standards to keep the park operating but said high use creates heavy maintenance demands. Aging infrastructure elsewhere includes irrigation pumps at Vernon Nichols, a cracking 5,000-gallon water tank slab at Grasslands, well repairs at a campground and playground equipment reaching typical 20–25-year replacement windows. The division is preparing to assume full operational control of Tuleman Pool and has applied for additional facility grants.
Supervisors praised accomplishments and asked for follow-up planning on maintenance, facility lifecycles and potential co-location or shared-service approaches to reduce costs. Pistacchini recommended a future workshop on parks priorities and infrastructure funding; supervisors asked staff to return with prioritized maintenance and staffing options.
The board took no immediate personnel or budget action today but directed staff to return with options and timelines for future consideration.
