Speaker 5, a parks staff presenter, outlined proposed designs and funding for a Town Park playground replacement during the Nov. 20 Parks & Recreation Commission meeting, saying the playground has been closed for hazards and is a shovel-ready master-plan project.

Staff reported the project was identified in the 2025 work plan, an initial allocation of $150,000 had been set aside, and that staff had since secured a grant and negotiated an omni cooperative procurement to reduce equipment costs and avoid separate bidding. "We got awarded the grant in August," Speaker 5 said, and described a turnkey procurement with partners including GameTime and Playcourt.

Two alternative designs — labeled Option A (spider-web/climbing-focused elements) and Option B (larger main slide and different climbing configuration) — were shown to commissioners. Speaker 5 said survey responses (reported as 142–205 responses across outreach channels) favored Option B. "Option b is the 1 everyone liked better," Speaker 5 said.

Commissioners pressed staff on surfacing choices and long-term maintenance. Speaker 6 asked whether rubberized (poured-in-place) surfacing or wood chips is safer and for total cost-of-ownership comparisons; Speaker 5 said poured-in-place is an approved accessible surface, easier for strollers and mobility devices, and typically carries multi-year warranties, but staff did not present a full lifecycle cost analysis at the meeting.

Budget numbers discussed at the meeting included the earlier $150,000 allocation, staff’s statement that $330,000 exists in the recreation capital budget that could be allocated, a $58,000 equipment figure tied to one sub-option, and an estimate — discussed as about $129,000 — for adding poured-in-place surfacing under the main structure. Several speakers described $129,000 as a significant portion of the project cost for surfacing alone.

Commissioners also asked whether a net/web climber could be accommodated in Option B without violating grant requirements. Staff said they would consult the designer and vendor to determine whether a web could be added in phase 1 or 2 and whether such a change would still meet grant criteria. The commission expressed a clear preference for Option B and for exploring adding a web, and gave staff direction to refine the design and return to the Town Council meeting on Dec. 16 with a final design and contract recommendation. No formal commission vote was taken on the playground that night.

The meeting also included updates on other parks projects (Eastfield field improvements) and a series of community events planned for December and early 2026.

What’s next: Staff will reconnect with the playground designer and vendor, produce a final staff report and recommended design changes (including whether a web climber is feasible), and seek Town Council approval and any required budget adjustments on Dec. 16.