Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Parks Administration topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Placer County parks administrator outlines staffing changes, capital priorities and regulatory watch
Summary
New Parks Administrator Erica Seward updated the Placer County Parks Commission on staff transitions, budget timing, deferred-maintenance planning and upcoming projects including Hidden Falls expansions and coordination with state agencies on the Bear River fishing access.
Erica Seward, Placer County’s new parks administrator, told the Parks Commission on March 20 that she has spent her first months assessing staff, partnerships and capital needs and will present the department’s proposed fiscal year 2025–26 budget to the Board of Supervisors on April 30.
“For the entirety of my career, I’ve been passionate about healthy communities and landscapes,” Seward said, describing three and a half months on the job and the department’s focus on sustaining operations while taking on more park and land-management responsibilities.
Seward said several long‑time staff retired recently, including former parks administrator Andy Fisher and senior project manager Ted Lehi, and that interim and acting staff are covering key roles while recruitment proceeds. She acknowledged acting senior project manager Casey Lyons and Mark Henry for providing support and said interviews to fill open positions will begin in the coming weeks.
The administrator’s report covered operations, capital planning and regulatory developments. Seward said the department’s budget is “right on track” for the current fiscal year and noted work on a capital replacement plan (CRP) to address deferred maintenance. She described the CRP as part of an effort to manage an inventory of park assets that includes roughly $3,400,000 of equipment and infrastructure annually that is beyond its useful life and will require planned replacement or repair.
Seward flagged ongoing attention to state rules affecting landscaping and turf, referring to the state regulatory matter discussed as AB 1572 and described by staff as relating to nonfunctional‑turf compliance. She said the county is monitoring the state’s direction and evaluating how best to proceed.
Project updates included work at Hidden Falls and the connected Big Hill Preserve, where construction of a new entrance and parking lot is underway and trail work is planned to follow. Seward said the county hopes to open the preserved area and trail connections later this fall if permitting and construction proceed as planned.
Seward also described partnerships and public outreach efforts: working with internal departments such as the Forest Health Division, external partners including the National Forest Foundation and local nonprofits like Dry Creek Conservancy, and increased public communications through the county’s public information office. She noted recent media coverage about cattle on Hidden Falls as part of open‑space grazing and upcoming outreach including an interview with Telemundo.
Separately, a county staff member said the county is working with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) to renew a memorandum of understanding for the Bear River Fishing Access. The county has a letter of permission in place to maintain ranger services while the redlined MOU is worked through with county counsel and CDFW; staff said the county intends to renew the agreement but legal language remains under negotiation.
Maintenance and operations updates presented later by Dan Foner (maintenance lead) emphasized work to document site knowledge, cross‑train staff and revise reservation policies and site manuals to preserve institutional knowledge after retirements. Foner listed recent and planned maintenance projects: restroom refurbishment and parking improvements at Sterling Point Equestrian Staging Area, restroom and interpretive panel work at Speedboat Beach, and ongoing repairs at Dutch Flat Pool, where a new restroom was installed and a pool deck repair is planned.
Foner said staff are preparing field conversions and irrigation improvements to conserve water, citing Dry Creek Park field work that a staff presentation estimated would save about 2,000,000 gallons of water annually once completed. He also said the department is soliciting bids for resurfacing a number of tennis courts with some conversions to pickleball configuration under consideration.
The report closed with Seward asking commissioners to help communicate the department’s work with constituents; commissioners thanked her and staff for the updates and for coordinating upcoming public events and site visits.
