The Parks, Recreation & Forestry Commission voted to recommend replacement of playgrounds at Hawk Ridge Park and Stonefield in 2026 and to defer the Middleton Hills South playground replacement until 2027.

Unidentified Speaker 1 (role/title not specified), who presented the ground replacement program, told the commission that vendor pricing returned higher than the July budget estimate and that staff and the project consultant recommended proceeding with two sites now and moving the third to 2027. "I'm looking for a recommendation, to move forward with Hawk Ridge and Stonefield Playground replacements and, moving Middleton Hills South playground replacement to 2027," the speaker said.

Why it matters: staff said the city had roughly $500,000 in rollover funds for playground replacements but that separating site work, surfacing and equipment left a shortfall for three full replacements. The consultant's bid package showed site‑work and servicing for Hawk Ridge at about $60,000. After subtracting site work, administration and surfacing, staff estimated about $285,000 would remain for equipment purchases, which they said likely covers two complete equipment packages but not three.

Details: presenters described a two-part procurement approach. The city will issue RFPs asking vendors to propose site-specific designs (age ranges, square footage, surfacing and ADA access) and will purchase play equipment through Sourcewell, a cooperative purchasing vehicle the public works director uses for vehicles and equipment. Staff said separating equipment purchases through Sourcewell avoids creating a narrowly prescriptive equipment spec that would limit competition under local bidding rules.

Design and maintenance tradeoffs were central to discussion. Commissioners and staff weighed poured‑in‑place (PIP) ADA‑compliant surfacing against engineered wood fiber (EWF), with staff noting PIP is more durable but more expensive up front while EWF requires annual topping and can fall short at transition points near slides and swings. Staff also described using concrete curbing to reduce weekly string‑trimming and provide durable edging.

Community input and selection: staff proposed asking vendors to mock up designs within the equipment budget and placing designs on the city website so residents can take a survey; staff will bring a recommended vendor design back to the commission.

Vote and next steps: a commissioner moved to recommend the two 2026 replacements and to defer Middleton Hills South to 2027; the commission approved the recommendation by voice vote and the chair announced the motion carried. Staff said they will return with final site designs and more detailed cost estimates, likely in January, and will proceed with RFP issuance and Sourcewell equipment procurement if council and finance committees concur.