Placerville staff outline Lions Park repairs, gopher mitigation and department priorities; no fields closed

City recreation staff updated the Placerville Recreation and Parks Commission on Lions Park field conditions, planned studies and near-term repair options, saying no fields have been closed and no final decisions have been made.

Staff said the City Council in June set aside about $187,500 for multiple park projects. Of that amount, roughly $81,000 was allocated for a drainage study and an irrigation upgrade for Lions Park. Recreation staff told the commission they have expanded the drainage study beyond the softball outfields to include the pickleball courts and the area past the service road, citing heavy rain this season and visible runoff.

Superintendent Matt Lishman said recent estimates included a roughly $50,000 quote to repair both softball infields as an interim “band-aid,” and staff are negotiating with local landscaping contractors and volunteers to lower costs to about $25,000. Staff said those repairs would be temporary measures to get fields through the spring; a fuller drainage and irrigation plan would require additional study and may affect the overall budget for the $187,500 allocation.

Gopher activity was highlighted as an ongoing safety and maintenance problem. Commissioners asked about mitigation strategies. Staff said multiple mitigation approaches have been tried, ranging from pest-control contractors to longer-term options such as installing subsurface mesh and placing owl nesting boxes in cooperation with local wildlife experts. Staff noted a full artificial turf conversion would be far more expensive — on the order of hundreds of thousands of dollars for materials and installation — and could have other maintenance implications.

Staff stressed they have not decided to close fields, and that short-term fixes require about 10 dry days before heavy equipment can work safely. They said part of the challenge is operating with limited resources and deferred maintenance across the park system, and that many softball participants live outside the city limits. Staff estimated fewer than 1% of softball participants live within city limits, and that program participation has fallen from a historical high — previously as many as 200 teams in the program’s heyday — to roughly 30–35 teams in recent seasons.

The public and commissioners discussed next steps for repairs, possible volunteer involvement, and changing fee structures to better support ongoing maintenance. Staff said they will meet with consultants later in the week to clarify costs and expect to bring a more detailed plan back to the commission next month.

In the same meeting staff provided a broader department update: Cal Fire provided approximately 14 days of fuel-reduction work at Gold Bug Park, the downtown restroom renovation began, the department has adjusted office hours (closed 12–1 p.m. Mon–Thu; Fridays by appointment), and staff received notice they were awarded an annual lap-swim grant from the Marshall Foundation for Community Health (approximately $3,600). Staff also previewed upcoming events including a fishing derby (April 5), a “Rise and Shine” cleanup (April 26) and a community cleanup tentatively set for June 7.

Staff recommended continued community engagement as the planning moves forward and emphasized balancing short-term safety fixes with longer-term capital planning for Lions Park and the department’s master plan.