Sonoma presentation trims Olsen Park plan to meet $415,000 budget; residents press surfacing, trees

Anne Baker, a landscape architect with Land Culture LLP, presented a 50% construction document update to the Parks, Recreation and Open Space Commission on Olsen Park that trims several features to meet a $415,000 construction budget.

The design keeps the park’s existing footprint but replaces sand in the main play structure with an accessible play surface, adds a toddler sand area with a small boat feature, creates a shortened loop path and smaller lawn, and increases tree plantings in raised planters to improve long-term tree health. Baker told the commission the team had “to remove some elements” to meet the budget and was proposing new shade trees and a mix of low-water plantings and site-appropriate specimen trees.

The changes respond to community input gathered at an on-site visioning meeting and online survey that prioritized shade, improved paving and toddler play. “Shade” was the highest-scoring feature in that outreach, Baker said.

Why it matters: Olsen Park is a neighborhood pocket park used by families and trail users; the renovation aims to increase accessibility and shade while staying within the city’s funding limit. The commission is reviewing design choices now so the project can go to bidding and construction next year.

Design choices and timeline Baker said the team reduced paved areas, removed proposed shade structures over benches and instead added trees in raised planters, shrank the loop lawn by about 15% and simplified a formal entry to improve privacy for an adjacent house. The team proposes added shade toppers and three new play features on the existing playground structure, plus bike racks and a toddler-focused sand play zone. The designers listed tree species and said they will coordinate final selections with the city arborist to ensure climate resilience.

The consultants said they were aiming to post the project to bid in the off-season to get better pricing but were open to accelerating the schedule; the commission later discussed moving the bid window earlier than December and possibly building in the fall instead.

Public comments and surfacing debate Neighborhood residents attending the meeting praised the project and urged the use of native, drought‑tolerant trees. Walt Hickey, who lives two blocks from Olsen Park, said he appreciated the city’s “commitment to planting more trees” and encouraged native selections. Salvador Dadavila, a local landscape architect and parent, asked whether the lawn topography could be flattened; the design team said regrading was not proposed at 50% because of budget constraints but the new loop lawn will drain to the northwest.

A focal point of the public discussion was play-surface material. Baker said the design team “is thinking to use the… 5R wood chips, because it’s a much more affordable surface than the rubberized play surface.” Commissioners and several parents raised accessibility and splinter concerns for barefoot children, and asked staff for a cost comparison and samples. Commissioner Izetta and others requested the consultants provide the vendor quote for a shade structure and a cost analysis showing how much more hard surfacing would add to the project; Baker estimated a hard surfacing upgrade could add roughly “around $15,000 or so” but said she did not have an exact number at the meeting.

Commission direction and next steps Commissioners agreed to review the 90% submittal and suggested an ad hoc review of the near-final plans. Commissioner Rausch asked whether construction could start earlier; Baker said contractors were in the field March–May for other work and the timeline could be adjusted if the city chose a different bidding window. Commissioner Jessica Misuraca offered to forward the city’s new “climate-forward tree list” to the design team to inform final species choices.

Staff and consultants said they will return with the 90% construction documents and cost details and that commissioners could provide additional feedback by ad hoc review or email before the next submittal.