Linden reviews three park concepts, hears neighborsconcerns over parking, pickleball and costs

Consultants from Civil Science presented concept plans for three Linden park sites Tuesday, laying out layouts, estimated costs and next steps and drawing public questions about parking, safety and pickleball noise.

At a meeting of the Linden City Council, Jordan Gough and Jeff Pay described Thornton Park as a split site bisected by a future road connection, with a multiuse open lawn, small pavilion, playground, and space for either pickleball or basketball. The consultants said on-street parking could provide much of the on-site parking and noted the western triangle functions primarily as stormwater detention. They recommended fencing at the playground because it is near the new road, and said restroom facilities were not included in the park cost estimate. "That playground is pretty close to that high-traffic road," resident Sandra Christiansen told the council during public comment, asking whether crosswalks, fencing or stop signs had been considered.

The consultants gave a preliminary construction estimate for the park amenities of about $2.9 million, excluding the road connection through the site and related curb-and-gutter work. Civil Science said the estimate includes contingency and is in today ollars; staff and the consultant urged the city to pursue grants and noted that grant awards and timing affect design and phasing.

At City Center Park, Civil Science recommended targeted upgrades: improved dugouts and backstop at the baseball arena, terraced spectator seating on a hillside, a prefabricated restroom building next to the existing pump-house footprint, and potential conversion of an underused diamond into gravel parking as an alternate. Consultants estimated the City Center work at roughly $1.5 million for park work (about $1.7 million with alternates and professional fees). Council members and longtime volunteers discussed whether the diamond should remain playable or be converted to parking for events and arena use.

On the East Bench site, the consultants proposed a mix of natural play features, a bike-skill/pump-track area and several pickleball courts, alongside formalized parking and preserving a trailhead. Neighbors who live immediately adjacent to the proposed East Bench plan said courts, retaining walls and lighting would block mountain views, increase noise and alter the character of the trailhead. "If you put that wall up, we basically won't be able to see the mountains anymore," resident Melissa Hutchison said; neighbor Daniel Hutchison urged the council to preserve a more natural character.

Council members asked Civil Science to return with alternate layouts for the East Bench that reduce impact on nearby properties, including an option without pickleball courts and options that place courts farther from houses. Consultants said some design choices are constrained by an aqueduct easement that limits structures in portions of the site.

Ron Clegg, a grants consultant at the meeting, urged staff and council to pursue available federal and state grants. He highlighted the Land and Water Conservation Fund application window and other outdoor-recreation grant opportunities, noting most grant programs do not fund an entire park and require local matches. "If you want to fund that park in this grant cycle, we gotta get moving on that," he said.

Council direction and next steps

Council asked the consultants to present alternative plans for the East Bench that reduce visual and acoustic impacts to nearby residents, and to return with refined cost estimates and grant strategy. Civil Science confirmed the Thornton Park estimate does not include road construction through the site and said the city should treat the detention basin as primarily stormwater infrastructure that may offer secondary recreational use.

What—omes next

Consultants will revise plans based on council direction and public input and return to the council with design options and grant priorities. Ron Clegg recommended the city apply this grant cycle for items that qualify under the Land and Water Conservation Fund and other programs to preserve grant timing options.