Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Parks Operations topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Parks staff outlines maintenance priorities and proposed water-use reductions across 30+ parks
Summary
Parks staff presented a draft level-of-service plan for about 30 city parks that prioritizes sports fields and proposes water-use reductions in lower-use areas, citing a sample goal to reduce Oakley Park watering to 70% of last year’s use.
Parks operations staff told the Santa Maria Recreation and Parks Commission on March 11 they have drafted a level-of-service plan for about 30 parks that focuses maintenance resources on high-use sports fields and would reduce routine maintenance and water use on lower-use neighborhood parks.
On the example of Oakley Park, staff described a "level 4" service rating — moderate to low maintenance according to the referenced standard — and proposed reducing water use to 70% of the previous year’s benchmark. Staff said the approach would prioritize restrooms and playing surfaces while extending mowing cycles in lower-use turf away from fields from weekly to every two to three weeks where appropriate.
Staff emphasized that the document is a working draft and that water-use targets would be adjusted based on weather and field demands. Commissioners asked for copies of the draft and for examples of parks with lower maintenance priority, and staff identified Joe White and smaller neighborhood parks as candidates for reduced frequency of routine work.
