The Ione City Council voted to approve submitting an application to the Amador Water Agency for a water-conservation grant to convert turf at Howard Park’s Picnic Hill to lower-water landscaping and to repair leaking sports-field irrigation.

City Manager George Lee introduced the item and Parks staff member Debbie Mackey provided the proposal to remove roughly 137,000 square feet of turf at Picnic Hill. Mackey described a plan that would relocate the existing stage, add pathways and parking (including accessible spaces), incorporate rockscaping and nature areas, and construct a smaller amphitheater with a backstage building to provide electricity and storage for events.

Mackey said the proposal would allocate $95,000 of the grant toward repairing and replacing older sports-field irrigation components to reduce water loss. She told the council the grant is reimbursement-based: the city would use park impact fee funds up front and seek reimbursement once the work is inspected and accepted.

Andrea (staff) said the city’s park impact fee fund balance is about $1.1 million and could be used to front the project until reimbursement arrives. Council members asked about procurement and local bidding; staff confirmed a normal competitive bidding process would follow if the grant is awarded.

Public commenters from the Castle Oaks area and local recreation groups urged prompt action, highlighted the need to fix field sprinklers and accessible parking, and said they supported the plan. Council members who spoke praised the proposal as more broadly useful than an earlier turf-conversion request and noted the potential for revenue from events, concerts and weddings.

Councilors voted to authorize submittal of the application and authorized the city manager to execute the funding agreement if the grant is awarded. Staff said the deadline for applications was imminent and asked to proceed quickly.