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Parks staff lays out CIP priorities, master plan kickoff and rising vandalism costs
Summary
Parks staff reviewed capital projects for 2026 — athletic court replacements, irrigation upgrades, playground rehabs and trail repairs — and outlined an upcoming park master plan contract and steering committee; staff also highlighted rising illegal dumping and vandalism that is diverting maintenance dollars.
Parks staff presented a Capital Improvement Program (CIP) update that mapped major park-system projects for 2026 and highlighted near-term operational pressures from vandalism and illegal dumping.
The CIP presentation (Staff, Speaker 3) listed a range of projects: athletic-court replacements (moving failing asphalt courts to concrete), a roughly $2,000,000 irrigation investment for golf-course irrigation improvements, playground rehabs (Central Riverside under RFP), trail and boardwalk repairs, signage rollout across heavily used parks, and a proposed permanent stage at Nomar to reduce staff labor on event set-up. Staff described using multi-year funding to bundle expensive items such as rec-center roof replacements and a phased approach for larger site work.
Staff also told the board that the department is reallocating funds to address storm and vandalism damage: $200,000 was moved to bring four playgrounds back into service after storm damage. Member (Speaker 2) and others discussed expanding efforts to track vandalism costs; staff noted the Park Foundation is exploring additional support but that the board and staff must balance investments across maintenance and new projects.
Master plan and engagement: Reggie (Speaker 8) said the city selected RDG as the consultant; the contract is expected to go to City Council the following Tuesday and staff anticipate convening a 10–15 person steering committee that includes city council, county, school district, park board and foundation representatives. Reggie said the steering committee work and community engagement will aim to deliver an actionable plan within roughly 12–14 months.
Operational context: Operations presenters reported increased illegal dumping and ongoing graffiti removal; staff noted an upcoming council discussion on amendments to the illegal-dumping ordinance and possible changes to fines. The board heard that vandalism repair costs reduce funds available for new projects.
What’s next: Staff will bring the RDG contract to council for approval and convene a steering committee upon council authorization. Staff will continue to share project status via the department’s CIP webpage and to track vandalism and dumping expenses in a public dashboard.
