Lake Forest presents Q1 capital-improvement update: 70 projects, $36 million program
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Summary
Assistant City Engineer Doug Erdman briefed the commission on the city’s 2023–25 capital improvement program: 70 projects totaling $36 million, with 33 completed and 10 under construction. Projects range from park improvements and street work to traffic signal synchronization and drought‑tolerant landscaping on El Toro Road.
At the May 7, 2025 Community Services Commission meeting, Doug Erdman, assistant city engineer, presented the first-quarter update for the city’s 2023–25 capital improvement program (CIP), which the city lists as 70 projects and $36,000,000 in planned investment.
Erdman said the CIP includes 27 park projects, 22 traffic projects, 18 street projects, one environmental project and two facility projects. He listed recent completions, including replacement of synthetic turf and new decorative pavers at Barker Ranch Dog Park and gazebo beam replacement, LED lighting and repainting at Pittsford Park. Erdman said 33 projects in the 2023–25 CIP are complete, totaling $17,800,000 in investment to date.
Ten projects are in construction, he said, including the Bake Parkway–Trabuco widening project (awarded February 2025), which will add dual left-turn lanes on Bake Parkway and convert a right-turn lane on Trabuco into a right-through lane; crews were completing potholing and procurement for new streetlight poles. Residential zone asphalt repairs for Zone D were nearing completion, with Canada Road being paved the week of the update and slurry work scheduled for the next fiscal year. Erdman said the city is also converting old green street-name signs to new blue signs with the city logo, expected by the end of the fiscal year.
Erdman described projects in preconstruction and design: installation of pickleball courts at El Toro Park (converting a sand-volleyball court) and tennis-court restriping at Pittsford, Foothill Ranch, Baker Ranch and Borrego Parks; Foothill Ranch box‑lacrosse conversion; Heroes Park lighting and sports-field renovations; El Toro Road widening and realignment projects that include raised medians and repaving between Geronimo and Trabuco; and multiple traffic-signal synchronization projects (Alton Parkway, Portola/SM Parkway and others). He noted coordination with the city of Irvine on some intersection lift projects and potential multi-year schedules where Edison pole relocation is required.
Commissioners asked follow-up questions on timelines and design approach. Vice Chair Lancaster asked whether projects were design‑bid‑build or concept/pre‑design; Erdman explained predesign denotes projects on the CIP that are starting preliminary work but not yet fully into construction design. Commissioner Jones asked about Kavanaugh Park outreach; Erdman and Deputy City Manager McGovern said the city expects to start outreach in July and present concept plans to the commission by September–October, with a consultant contract expected to be signed within about a week.
Erdman closed the brief noting current CIP status numbers: 33 completed projects, 10 in construction, 9 in preconstruction, 10 in design and 7 in predesign. He invited commissioners to contact staff with questions.
