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Commissioners approve Gage Park Playland equipment purchase and MOU with Topeka Horseshoe Club
Summary
Shawnee County approved a $90,607 purchase of play equipment for Gage Park Playland, authorized an RFP for site preparation, and signed an MOU with the Topeka Horseshoe Club to collaborate on a horseshoe facility at Felker Park or another agreed site.
The Shawnee County Board of County Commissioners on May 12 approved a set of Parks and Recreation actions to advance improvements at Gage Park and explore a horseshoe facility.
The board approved contract C185-2025 with Next Generation Recreation, using a purchasing cooperative, to purchase playground equipment targeted to very young children for the Playland area at Gage Park. Parks Director Tim Lorentz described the equipment package as including slides, climbing structures, a small rock-climber and a turf-mounded play feature with a short tunnel. The purchase price is $90,607 and the county intends to fund it with Gage Park Improvement Authority (GPIA) funds. Lorentz said the department hopes to complete installation by Nov. 15, 2025.
To enable installation, the commission authorized a request for proposals for construction services to prepare the Playland site; the work includes excavation, drainage components and base gravel. Lorentz said some equipment is on hand but site-prep work is the remaining step before installation can begin.
The board also approved Memorandum of Understanding C186-2025 with the Topeka Horseshoe Club. The MOU establishes collaboration guidelines for design, volunteer participation and potential fundraising; it identifies Felker Park as a preferred site but allows the parties to select a different mutually agreed location in Shawnee County. Lorentz said the MOU does not obligate the county to immediate construction spending; the county would provide land and assist with design and infrastructure if the project advances. Commissioners noted that a prior Land and Water Conservation Fund grant covering the park’s master plan will require coordination if the site plan changes.
All motions for the playground purchase, the site-prep RFP authorization and the horseshoe-club MOU passed 3-0.
