Albany staff present parks-focused CIP update; commissioners press on funding, volleyball court and Prop 68 limits

Albany staff presented an update to the city’s Capital Improvement Plan focused on parks projects and sought feedback from the Parks, Recreation and Open Space Commission at a regular meeting. Staff described a proposed annual parks rehabilitation program and a set of discrete projects including a proposed sand volleyball court, a citywide turf audit, Ohlone Greenway programming and phased work on Albany Hill habitat restoration.

The presentation, led by Lisonbee Carrillo, CIP program manager at the City of Albany, outlined how the CIP organizes projects into core programs and discrete projects, and recommended an annual rehabilitation program to maintain existing park assets. "So I'm Lisonbee Carrillo, CIP program manager at the city of Albany," Carrillo said while introducing the plan and the proposed parks program.

Commissioners and staff focused questions on funding and timing. Devorah Zauder, program manager in public works, clarified that Prop 68 funding previously allocated to park projects remains tied to those project line items and cannot be reallocated between projects without additional appropriations. "The prop 68 projects were initially funded through, available formula distributions through the state through prop 68," Zauder said, adding that staff has sometimes supplemented completed projects with local funds such as Measure M.

Nut graf: The CIP presentation maps near-term maintenance and midterm programming work for city parks and open spaces and flagged several decisions the commission and City Council will have to weigh — whether to add local funds on top of state grants, how quickly to deliver high-demand projects such as a sand volleyball court, and how much outreach to undertake for larger programming efforts.

Most notable proposals and staff clarifications

- Annual parks rehabilitation program: The proposed program aims to fund upkeep and timed reinvestment in parks assets (play structures, courts, ball fields) so replacements happen incrementally rather than in one large deferred cost. Staff said the program would fund capital reinvestment rather than day-to-day maintenance, and that play equipment replacement is an example of a capital need that is becoming harder to address without planned reinvestment.

- Specific projects flagged for near- or mid-term work: Terrace Park tennis-court refresh (candidate for multiuse conversion), Memorial Park ball-field refresh, a safety assessment to prioritize playground replacements, a proposed sand volleyball court at Ocean View, a citywide turf audit, upgrades to Ohlone Greenway fitness furniture, Pierce Street Park programming (to coordinate park amenities with an Active Transportation Program bikeway), and Albany Hill habitat restoration (described as phased pilot, removal, and restoration work).

- Sand volleyball court: Commissioners noted prior approvals for similar small projects and pushed to accelerate the Ocean View sand-volleyball proposal. Staff said they are exploring options to expedite delivery and noted the CIP appropriations process typically covers the first two fiscal years. Commissioners referenced draft CIP line items showing $25,000 in the nearer fiscal year with additional funds anticipated; staff explained appropriations are by fiscal year and that projects and staffing availability affect scheduling.

- Funding and Prop 68: Zauder said Prop 68 allocations were estimated by project and remain delineated by project; completed projects sometimes required local funds on top of Prop 68 allocations. "So we can't, move funds between projects, within that allocation," Zauder said. Staff said the CIP may ask City Council to appropriate additional local funds as scopes are refined. Measure M has also been used to complete park projects in past years.

- Turf audit and programming: Staff described the turf audit as an information-gathering step to identify where turf is heavily used (scheduled ball fields) versus ornamental or underused turf that could be converted to drought-tolerant landscaping or other uses. Commissioners asked how usage would be measured and how audit findings would inform later programming decisions for parks such as Ohlone Greenway and Pierce Street Park.

- Community engagement: Staff said the commission and public meetings are a primary forum for engagement. For larger programming projects (for example, Ohlone Greenway and Pierce Street Park), staff described multiple outreach steps: site walks, workshops, and iterative engagement to refine design and programming. Devorah Zauder noted prior outreach for the Albany Hill project, including a site walk and community workshop.

Votes and next steps

No formal City Council action occurred at the meeting; the CIP update was presented for comment. Staff said they will incorporate commission feedback into draft project pages and plan to bring the CIP to a City Council study session in coming months. The commission scheduled a follow-up discussion on sugar-sweetened beverage funds at the next meeting to review prior recommendations and remaining unspent items.

Ending: Staff and commissioners agreed the CIP should remain a dynamic, iterative tool — staff will return with refined scopes, funding requests as necessary, and targeted outreach plans for major programming projects. The commission did not take formal action on the CIP presentation; staff characterized the meeting as informational and preparatory to later decisions by council on appropriations.