Parks director outlines expanded fields, splash pad and cemetery memorials in 2026 budget presentation
Loading...
Summary
The city’s parks director told the Finance & Budget Committee the parks budget will fund three new full-size athletic fields at Kingsbury Park, a Memorial Day 2026 splash pad at Unity Park, expanded trails and a veterans monument at Oak Grove Cemetery; staff emphasized in-house cost savings and volunteer support.
The city’s parks director presented an expanded parks and facilities plan to the Finance & Budget Committee, saying the department will manage 13 facilities (about 272,000 square feet) and prioritize recurring maintenance, new amenities and in‑house cost savings in 2026.
"We're up to 13 facilities now," the parks director told the committee, and said the department moved some maintenance tasks (painting, carpeting) from capital into the operating budget to allow more predictable annual upkeep. The presenter said emergency HVAC work and elevator repairs in 2025 influenced the maintenance plan for next year.
The director outlined planned amenities and capital priorities: Kingsbury Park is expected to add three full‑size athletic fields to serve soccer, lacrosse and football; Unity Park will receive a splash pad targeted for completion by Memorial Day 2026; and Mill Run and other neighborhood parks would see targeted improvements and trail expansions. The director also described plans to add disc golf and an obstacle course at select parks and to update golf carts and irrigation at the municipal course.
Staff highlighted several cost‑saving measures: in‑house fabrication of neighborhood park signs and kiosks (presenter said kiosks cost about $550 in materials versus a $5,000 external price), use of concrete courts to reduce long‑term maintenance, prairie plantings to reduce mowing, and cooperative purchasing agreements (citing Musco Lighting as an example) to access national vendors for small local purchases. The parks director said the department has reused fixtures from Station 305 inventories to cut replacement costs.
The presenter reported several operational metrics and budget details: work orders rose with added facilities; the city handles roughly 49 miles of right‑of‑way rough mowing and 17 miles of finished mowing; the Ravines Trail contracted work cost about $18.42 per linear foot; and lifeguard retention improved from about 47% to about 76% this year.
Oak Grove Cemetery and arboretum work featured in the presentation. The department opened the Oak Grove Arboretum and built a new scattering garden for ashes; the presenter said there is a $200 administrative charge for use of the scattering garden. A veterans monument project — initiated by the Daughters of the American Revolution and advanced with the veterans service office — is being designed for installation at Oak Grove; the parks director named sculptor Alan Cottrell as involved in the design conversation and said final site and design work are ongoing.
Volunteers were highlighted as a major operational asset: cemetery volunteers who clean gravestones and community groups that support gardening and programming were credited with extending staff capacity.
The parks presentation did not itself generate a separate committee vote; committee members asked clarifying questions about site selection, volunteer roles and how capital transfers are being split between funds. The parks director said many projects will be further refined as staff finalize bids and site plans.
