Subcommittee says city will assume maintenance of two River Parkway parcels; third parcel may need Measure P support

Members of the Parks, Recreation and Arts Commission’s San Joaquin River Parkway subcommittee reported that site visits with the San Joaquin River Conservancy and the San Joaquin River Parkway Trust identified three adjacent parcels — the Lanes property, the Jenko River Extension property and the Caglaya property — as priorities for public access.

The subcommittee said the San Joaquin River Conservancy and the city reached an understanding that would have the city take over maintenance of two of those parcels so the conservancy could move forward with opening them to the public; the subcommittee did not have a confirmed timeline for when the parcels would be opened. The third parcel is owned and managed by the nonprofit Parkway Trust; subcommittee members said they plan to meet with Parkway Trust Executive Director Sharon Weaver about potential Measure P funding to support opening that parcel.

Subcommittee members expressed uncertainty about the mechanism for directing Measure P funding to a nonprofit that is not city-managed. Commissioner Petaras offered to provide additional information, potentially via a memo, and staff said the parks department and the city attorney’s office would need to review options. Director Mosier (city staff) suggested a memorandum of understanding or a services agreement, similar to arrangements the city has used with the Fresno Arts Council, could be a path for routing Measure P funding to nonprofit partners.

The subcommittee asked staff to follow up with the conservancy and Parkway Trust and to return with clarification about the administrative steps needed to use Measure P dollars for nonprofit-managed parcels.