Cole County Commission backs park repairs, trail sealcoat and planning for new playground and restroom

Cole County commissioners approved preventive maintenance for park infrastructure and discussed longer-term park development plans, including a potential grant-funded playground and a new restroom near the pavilion at County Park.

The commission voted to sign a services agreement with Precision Seal Coating Services for $4,590 to seal-coat the asphalt trail that loops the lake at County Park. Staff said the trail’s last seal coat was about a decade ago and that preventative maintenance could extend the surface life and delay the need for a full overlay.

Commission staff described several related items considered by the parks committee and discussed at the meeting. At Brooks Park (sometimes referenced by its donor name in committee materials), the city sewer department is replacing an on‑site pump station and holding tank and installing a force main. The sewer work requires replacement of an old storm pipe that runs under parts of Brooks Park, including near the pavilion and playground; staff said road and bridge would pay for the pipe replacement but park staff will manage other impacts such as moving or replacing the pavilion and reinstalling playground elements.

Commissioners and staff said Brooks Park’s playground equipment is approaching 25 years old and may need replacement in the coming years; staff estimated a replacement playground could cost in the neighborhood of $25,000 and noted the county’s parks budget is currently committed for the sales‑tax cycle. Commissioners discussed grant programs that could support playground and restroom construction, naming the Land and Water Conservation Fund (administered by the National Park Service) and the Recreational Trails Program (often administered through state DNR) as potential sources. The Land and Water Conservation Fund typically requires a 50/50 match; staff said the county’s match can include in‑kind services.

Staff said a grant application cycle usually opens in August and is due in November, and that the county is unlikely to meet this year’s application timeline; they recommended performing design work and site schematics this year so the county can submit a competitive grant package in the next cycle. Commissioners also discussed forming a Cole County parks foundation to accept donations and help raise funds for park projects; staff said legal work and an IRS exemption filing would be required to set up a foundation.

On other park items, staff outlined a planned entrance widening at Powell Fields timed to a County Park Road overlay and recommended moving a gate to the lease boundary. Commissioners asked staff to pursue available grants, consider fundraising and foundation formation, and to return with design estimates for the playground and restroom to support a grant application.

The seal-coat contract passed on a motion and second; commissioners recorded the approval with unanimous voice votes.