Lake Forest outlines $36 million CIP for 70 projects; 36 projects complete, major street and park work underway

Naz McCormick, the city’s capital improvement program manager, told the Community Services Commission on Aug. 6 that the 2024–25 CIP includes 70 projects with a total budget of about $36 million and that 36 projects — roughly $20 million worth of work — are complete.

"The 2325 CIP includes 70 projects with a total budget of 36,000,000," McCormick told the commission. Completed projects listed in the presentation included the Alton Traffic Signal Synchronization Program, conference-room upgrades on the civic campus, a shade-structure renovation at Pittsburg Park, and multiple park court resealings and re-stripings that now accommodate pickleball. A fourth phase of audible pedestrian signal upgrades (CDBG-funded) added ADA-accessible crosswalk buttons at 18 intersections, McCormick said.

Projects substantially complete or in construction include a Zone D asphalt repairs program with a full-length overlay of Kenyatta Road from Lake Forest Drive to Dimension Drive; citywide street-name-sign replacement (awaiting final paperwork); Baker Ranch turf replacement; and the El Toro irrigation conservation project (staff pursuing grant reimbursements). Transportation mitigation funds are being used to improve three intersections, with Geronimo widening at Lake Forest Drive largely finished and work continuing at Rancho Parkway and Lake Forest Drive; crews will later move to Rockville Boulevard and Los Felizos Boulevard, McCormick said.

Several park projects are active: Normandale Open Space renovations (landscaping and fence installation), Heroes Park sports-field renovations and lighting (waiting on an electrical cabinet and additional fixtures), and citywide restroom renovations where painting is done and fixtures await installation. The Lake Forest Sports Park’s synthetic turf replacement is complete, and other park work — including pickleball-court installations and a box-lacrosse ring at Foothill Ranch — is moving toward construction.

McCormick said four El Toro Road projects between Geronimo and Trabuco are being bundled into a single construction contract to reduce disruption; awards are scheduled for September. The presentation summarized program status: 36 completed, 16 in construction, five in preconstruction, nine in design and four in predesign.

Kavanaugh Park outreach and timeline: Deputy City Manager McGovern and staff explained that Kavanaugh Park is in predesign and that the first community outreach meeting is scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 6, with a follow-up presentation of a draft concept plan in mid-to-late October. McGovern said the project is expected to return to the commission for comment in December or January, depending on the pace of outreach and consultant work. McCormick emphasized that Kavanaugh is expected to be a larger reconstruction effort rather than a minor facelift.

Security, staffing and revenue: Deputy City Manager McGovern told the commission the city has parted ways with the sports-park security contractor and will reprocure security services under a newly funded citywide park-security item in the strategic plan. While the city seeks a new contractor, McGovern said the sheriff’s department will have increased weekend presence at the sports park and that staff will ask the new contractor to provide encounter/incident statistics for reporting to the commission. McGovern also said program revenue for fiscal year 2024–25 exceeded projections and staff are finalizing expense reporting; the commission will receive a revenue-to-expense breakdown at a future meeting.

Website and other notes: McGovern said the city’s new website will launch on Aug. 18 and will consolidate information such as where to play pickleball (lakeforestca.gov/pickleball). He also said the protective permissive left-turn design is on hold pending evaluation of traffic-signal work, and that several neighborhood park improvements are being scoped for design.

Why it matters: The CIP update lays out near-term construction and closeout timelines for streets, intersections and parks that affect resident travel, field availability and neighborhood character. The planned Kavanaugh Park outreach marks the start of a major neighborhood design effort.