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Parks & Recreation commission highlights City Playfields, pesticide‑free park and new programs
Summary
Parks & Recreation staff and commissioners presented an annual report noting City Playfields collaboration with the school district, a pesticide‑free park designation for Morgan's Orchard Park, new classes and volunteer projects and continued capital improvement planning.
Kat Harner, chair of the Moscow Parks & Recreation Commission, and Recreation Manager Betsy Rawls presented the commission's annual report at the Oct. 6 council meeting.
Harner described the commission's role advising the city on playgrounds, athletic fields, facilities, programs and capital projects. She highlighted the City Playfields (Joseph Streetfields), a collaboration between the Moscow School District and the city, where volunteers—including youth teams—helped renovate infields. "It was cool, honestly, to see kids...you have ownership when you put time," Harner said.
The commission named Morgan's Orchard Park this year as the pesticide‑free park; Harner said the designation rotates annually and the park will later return to standard maintenance practices. She also described Harvest Park volunteer projects promoting pollinator plantings and public education and said the commission had appointed a Bee City USA subcommittee member.
Harner noted ongoing capital improvement discussions, parkland dedications tied to new subdivisions, and several new program offerings at the Herc recreation center and the Eagan teen facility. The commission is also supporting fundraising and grant searches for a proposed pickleball court at Mountain View Park. Harner encouraged residents to check the city website for commission vacancies and emphasized volunteer involvement in maintenance and programming.
The presentation drew brief council discussion and appreciation for the commission's work. Harner and Rawls answered council questions about pesticide‑free parks and program participation; on rotation of pesticide‑free sites Harner said, "It's 1 a year...that park, they'll have signs out that say this is a pesticide free park, and then it'll rotate to another 1."
