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Parks commission urges on-site meetings and better data on park use
Summary
Parks and Recreation Commission chair David Kesting told council the commission values on-site meetings and highlighted a lack of park-use data, calling the current tracking method 'a huge data blind spot' that hampers planning and goal setting.
David Kesting, chairman of the Parks and Recreation Commission, told the joint study session that the commission has found value in holding meetings on location and in keeping a direct line to council and staff.
"We had in attendance... probably close to 15, maybe even 2 dozen people," Kesting said of a recent on-site meeting at Las Palmas Park and added that such meetings helped residents influence local policy. He urged that the city continue on-site meetings for topics directly tied to parks, while maintaining a quorum and meeting discipline.
Kesting also flagged a data gap. "That's the only way we have to track that information, which is simply a huge data blind spot," he said, referring to the city's current practice of measuring park use only when individuals pull permits for fields, picnic tables or lights. He said the lack of routine usage data limits the commission's ability to set priorities for projects and programming.
Kesting and Chair Beagle discussed the practical value of the former study-issue process: although few study issues secured direct funding, the process gave commissions access to staff and council and helped spur operational changes, such as traffic‑calming measures on safety corridors near parks. Commissioners asked staff to consider lower-overhead ways to surface ideas during the year without imposing heavy staff burdens.
Staff did not adopt any immediate changes at the meeting; they committed to take commissioner input to the council subcommittee for further consideration.
