Parks and Recreation commission approves Option B1 for Town Park playground to meet grant deadline

The Corte Madera Parks and Recreation Commission voted unanimously at a special meeting Dec. 10 to approve the Option B1 conceptual design for the Town Park school‑age playground and forward that recommendation to the Town Council.

Staff presented survey results and grant details, saying the playground replacement was prioritized in the town master plan and has been partially closed for safety. Staff reported roughly 295 online survey responses and 47 in‑person responses from childcare programs, and that Option B had broad community support (about 191 respondents favored Option B). Staff said the Healthy Play Initiative grant requires the equipment be purchased by the end of the calendar year, and urged the commission to decide that night to preserve grant eligibility.

“...if we want to move forward with this playground, we have to purchase this by the end of the calendar year,” Staff member (Speaker 6) told the commission, and cautioned that redesign work to accommodate a larger climbing feature could miss the grant cutoff.

Staff outlined tradeoffs: the spider‑web climbing structure itself was estimated at roughly $15,000 as an add‑on, but adding it together with expanded pour‑in‑place surfacing would sharply increase cost; staff cited a $195,000 estimate for a larger area with pour‑in‑place surfacing. Staff also said the town had identified $150,000 in sales‑tax override funds and recommended using $106,000 from the recreation capital fund balance (rec fund balance cited at $321,000) toward the playground, leaving an estimated $161,000 remaining in the fund after the project.

Commission discussion focused on whether to alter Option B to include a moving web or to add that feature later as a separate contract or change order. Several commissioners said the pragmatic choice was to approve Option B1 now to secure the grant and then pursue the spider‑web or spinner features as add‑ons if feasible. Staff agreed to obtain ballpark pricing and, where possible, include options in the staff report to council.

A motion to approve Option B1 was made and the commission conducted a roll‑call vote. Commissioners Hoskins, Rose, Stoller, Zimack, Hansen and Vice Chair Condaria voted yes; Chair Miles was absent. The motion passed.

Staff said the recommendation will be presented to Town Council on Dec. 16, and that, if approved, installation could begin in early January with an estimated 3–4 week construction period.

What happens next: staff will prepare the park playground recommendation and the associated funding information for the Dec. 16 Town Council meeting and will report back on any additional pricing for spider‑web or spinner options.