Parks seeks continued half‑penny funding, adds staff and requests CIP dollars for lead remediation work on former landfill sites

Parks and Recreation staff presented their operating and CIP requests and described how the city’s half‑penny parks funding has been used to deliver playgrounds, trail improvements, restrooms and maintenance. Director Wade Walcutt asked council to maintain the half‑penny allocation in the proposed budget and outlined how staff would use a full half‑penny in FY26.

Why it matters: the half‑penny fund is a dedicated local funding stream intended for parks maintenance and prioritized park projects. Parks staff said maintaining the full half penny in FY26 would allow them to add six full‑time positions to handle small construction, maintenance and water‑fountain/trail needs and to continue delivering playgrounds and park upgrades across the city.

Key staff points: • Allocation and staffing: Parks presented a split showing roughly 53% of half‑penny expenditures earmarked for personnel and 47% for supplies, contracts and projects. The FY26 proposal includes six additional full‑time positions — roles described as small construction crew positions and maintenance support to keep routine and corrective work moving without pulling crews from other duties. • Notable projects: staff highlighted work already under way and planned projects such as the Sherwood Park renewal, CR Woods Park improvements (including native planting and rain‑garden elements), and other playground upgrades and restroom and shelter projects across the system; staff said many playgrounds are being rebuilt to improve accessibility and shade and to use lower‑maintenance native landscaping. • Landfill parks and remediation: staff summarized work with the state Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) through the state’s pre‑regulatory landfill program for four park sites located on former incinerators/landfills; staff said the city has already received $5 million in state funding and requested $7 million in CIP to bring total available funding to about $12 million for phased remediation and park improvements. DEQ and consultant testing are ongoing; staff said groundwater, vapor, landfill‑gas and surface‑water probes and testing are scheduled and initial results were expected in June. Staff emphasized the city’s intent to share testing results with community working groups and to use the CIP funds for remediation, relocation of amenities or other solutions as the data suggests.

Council questions and next steps: council members requested detail on specific part‑time and seasonal job titles, asked for updates on timelines for park openings following remediation work, and pressed staff for reports showing which playgrounds and courts will be prioritized if the CIP request is funded. Parks staff said they will provide those project lists and timing estimates as soon as bid and testing results are available.