Paso Robles council directs staff to expand youth sports capacity, prioritize Sherwood Park lighting and turf

Mayor Mary Hammond and the Paso Robles City Council on May 20 unanimously directed staff to pursue short‑ and long‑term actions to increase sports-field capacity across the city, responding to public testimony from parents, coaches and youth athletes who said current fields are overused and in poor condition.

Community Services Director Angelica Fortin told the council city staff had surveyed user groups and found participation in outdoor recreation leagues has increased 59 percent over five years and that many teams prefer lighted fields. Fortin said the city owns 16 sports fields — 11 with lights — and that, under National Recreation and Park Association standards, Paso Robles would need four additional fields to meet demand. She added the city will lose access to one lighted field at Pioneer Park after March 2027 because the property was sold to the fairgrounds.

Fortin presented a package of short‑term and long‑term options. Short‑term proposals include installing lights and renovating turf at Sherwood Park (estimated cost: $1 million to $1.5 million each for lighting and turf work) and adopting a council policy supporting publicly accessible fields if the Paso Robles Joint Unified School District repurposes the former Georgia Brown campus. Long‑term recommendations include advancing the Larry Moore Park design, negotiating revised terms for the Beachwood Park developer‑built park, and commissioning a master parks, recreation and trails plan (estimated $150,000–$300,000).

Public commenters, including volunteer coaches and youth soccer players, told the council they routinely travel out of town for practice and competition because local fields are unavailable or unsafe. Several speakers described uneven turf, gopher holes and late practices for young children. Mike Cousin of AARP Tax-Aide and John Perini of Paso Robles Youth Baseball each described volunteer efforts to maintain city fields and urged the council to invest in permanent improvements.

Council discussion centered on timing and funding. Fortin said staff can bring short‑term projects as part of the city’s June budget update and noted $3.6 million was available in development impact fees for parks. Staff said sport‑field lighting and some capacity increases would be eligible for development impact fees, while turf renovation and the master plan would not. Fortin also recommended that the city undertake appropriate CEQA review for projects before construction.

Councilman Tim Gregory moved and Council member Strong seconded a motion directing staff to explore implementation of short‑term strategies — including Sherwood Park lighting and turf renovation — and to return with necessary items for council approval. The motion passed unanimously (Gregory, Strong, Bausch, Beal and Mayor Hammond voting aye).

The council also unanimously directed staff to pursue the long‑term opportunities Fortin outlined — advancing Larry Moore Park and Beechwood Park concepts and developing a master parks, recreation and trails plan — and to return with the steps needed to implement them, including CEQA review. Council members stressed the need to sequence short‑term work so Sherwood improvements can begin while the city proceeds with a broader master plan.

Fortin summarized stakeholder feedback: staff contacted 19 organizations representing 3,220 members and received responses from 11 groups representing about 1,290 members. She noted field maintenance staffing is limited, with Barney Schwartz Park receiving the bulk of dedicated maintenance and other parks receiving far less. Fortin recommended the council consider both capital projects and maintenance staffing as part of the implementation strategy.

The council asked staff to return with cost and schedule options at the June budget review; Fortin and Public Works staff estimated engineered lighting and procurement (including lead time for poles and equipment) could take roughly a year once authorized. Council members said they wanted to accelerate work where feasible so families and teams can see improvements sooner.

The council’s direction sets the city on a two‑track path: prioritize immediate measures at Sherwood Park to increase evening play and field safety, while developing a citywide plan that would identify and prioritize additional park and field investments to be funded from development impact fees, grants or other sources.