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Sunnyvale residents urge council to develop Jobson Park with lights, turf and a restroom
Summary
At the Feb. 24 Sunnyvale Town Council meeting, more than a half-dozen residents urged the council to add lights, turf, additional fields and a permanent restroom at Jobson Park and speed repairs to the existing field; several speakers praised town maintenance staff for quick temporary fixes.
Dozens of residents pressed the Sunnyvale Town Council on Monday to accelerate improvements at Jobson Park, saying more fields, field lights, turf and a permanent restroom are needed to support youth sports in town.
The appeals came during the public-comment portion of the Feb. 24 meeting as parents, coaches and volunteer sports directors described crowded practice schedules, safety hazards on the high school and town fields and the lack of facilities that allow practices after work hours.
“The school district has helped and I appreciate that, but Jobson Park and the town fields need lights, more fields and turf if available,” said David Barrett, executive pastor of ministries at The Heights Church in Richardson, who identified himself as a Sunnyvale resident and parent. Barrett and other speakers said turf and lights would allow teams to practice later in the evening and reduce wear on existing grass fields.
Trevor Lunt, baseball director for Sarissa, urged “small temporary fixes” to Jobson’s diamond before a long-term solution: “Leveling out home plate and the batter’s boxes … the pitcher’s mound resembles a bit of a moat.” Lunt thanked Parks staff members Carrie and Jeff and singled out Carlos for maintenance work, saying crews had prepared the field for imminent practices.
Other speakers—Braxton Adamson, Nick Talbot, Levi Long, Michael Giordano, William Weed and parents such as Elizabeth Allen and Cindy Bernowski—made similar requests. Several noted scheduling pressure that leaves multiple teams sharing single practice slots. “We have some nights where I have three different teams on one night,” Lunt said.
Parents also asked the town for basic amenities. Dallas Wetland requested a permanent bathroom at Jobson Park, saying coaches and young children currently rely on a porta-potty. “A bathroom would be nice in addition to the new fields,” he said.
Speakers repeatedly urged the council to balance urgency with care: fix safety hazards now but avoid temporary patches that wash out in the next rain. Lunt asked that any aggressive ground work be postponed until May if necessary so spring practices can continue.
Several speakers expressed willingness to work with the school district and town staff on joint solutions, and William Weed said adding lights could allow practices to end “before 9” and reduce the need to continuously regrade and repair fields.
Council members did not take action on Jobson Park during the public-comment period. Staff and council later moved on to the evening’s public hearing and business items.
The public-comment sequence included multiple coaches and parents speaking about Jobson Park between 7:04 p.m. and the start of scheduled recognitions; speakers thanked Parks staff for quick maintenance and described specific short-term fixes they want the town to prioritize.
