Council leans toward natural grass for Jobson Park design; budget gap remains
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Summary
After hearing a parks update and public comments, the council directed staff to continue Jobson Park design assuming natural grass rather than artificial turf and to pursue options that keep the project within the existing $8.3M bond allocation, with further phasing or scope cuts to follow as needed.
Parks Director Tommy Hannes updated council on the Jobson Park project and the 4B board's recent input, presenting two high-level cost estimates: an artificial-turf option with an OPCC of approximately $13.4 million and a natural-grass construction option estimated around $9.9 million. Hannes said the town currently has roughly $8.3 million allocated for Jobson Park (the construction bucket is approximately $7.0 million).
Multiple residents near the proposed multiuse field urged the council to widen the landscape buffer and move the field south to reduce noise and lighting impacts to adjacent homes. "There needs to be a deep enough landscape buffer so that we're not overwhelmed by the impact," one resident told the council.
Council members expressed concern about cost and phasing. Several members said they favored natural grass and buffering for neighbors while acknowledging the $9.9 million estimate would still exceed the $7 million construction allocation. Council direction to staff was to proceed with design work assuming natural grass so that staff could bring 60% construction documents forward and then identify how to value-engineer or phase the work to fit the bond-funded $8.3 million envelope.
The council also discussed hybrid compromises such as turfed infields with grass outfields and asked staff to return with a prioritized list of elements that could be funded at the $7 million construction level without compromising neighbor protections.