Council hears FY26 parks maintenance priorities; staff proposes a preliminary work plan

The Richardson Parks and Recreation Department gave the City Council a detailed briefing on asset conditions and a preliminary work plan for fiscal year 2026 maintenance projects, and urged council members to prioritize items as the budget process continues.

Director of Parks and Recreation Devon Paogu and Assistant Director Sean Rogers presented results from the department’s annual capital asset assessment and a list of priority projects developed with the Park and Recreation Commission. The assessment scores assets across safety, age, structural soundness, utility and appearance and is used to identify immediate maintenance needs.

Why it matters: The parks maintenance fund supports routine and capital upkeep for 42 parks, trails and park facilities. With budget uncertainty this year, staff presented a prioritized but preliminary list so the council can match funding decisions to highest priorities during the August budget retreat.

Key highlights: - Asset program and scope: Parks staff maintain 42 parks, roughly 510 acres of medians/right‑of‑way, 93 miles of trails, 32 playgrounds, 230 acres of sports fields, 28 restroom buildings and 13 ponds/water features. The department’s capital asset assessment uses a 5‑point scoring system to rank assets and has eight years of trend data. - FY25 completed work: Major projects completed this year included a stone‑retaining solution at McKamy Spring Park (repair to a failing stone veneer and ramp; cost about $255,000), tennis‑court fence replacement at Yale Park ($45,000), median renovations on East Spring Valley (about $155,000) and berm/retaining wall work along Renier Linear Park to reduce trail erosion. - FY26 preliminary priorities: Staff proposed projects including safety‑surfacing maintenance at Breckenridge Park (roll coat on safety surfacing), median landscape renovations (Waterview and Yale segments), Yale Park restroom replacement with a prefabricated restroom building, selective trail panel replacement at Campbell Ridge Park, a pavilion slab replacement at Huffines Park, irrigation adjustments where rock landscaping removed irrigated turf, and security lighting and grassing infields at Pointe North Park.

Staff emphasized that the FY26 list is preliminary; final scope will depend on the council’s decisions about transfers from the general fund to special maintenance accounts. City Manager Don Magner said departments were asked to present “preliminary work plans” to allow flexibility in balancing priorities across parks, streets and other maintenance programs. Council members requested cost estimates for projects in future briefings to help weigh tradeoffs.

Council feedback included requests to revisit restrooms and trail/bridge connections at Breckenridge Park (several members asked that restroom improvements and a future bridge to complete trail connections remain on the capital list). Mayor Pro Tem Hutchenrider noted prior commitments to address restrooms at Breckenridge and asked staff to revisit the item; staff said portions of Breckenridge sit on landfill and lack utilities, which complicates a full restroom replacement and may require a larger capital project or relocation of restrooms to served sites.

Next steps: Parks staff will refine project scopes and cost estimates and return with a final recommended work plan as part of the City Manager’s FY26 budget submission. The department also plans limited public outreach and will provide more detailed dollar estimates during the budget‑workshop process.

No formal council action was taken during the presentation.