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Parks director: grant-funded playground upgrades, ADA projects and master plan aim to stabilize parks finances
Summary
Parks Director John Davis outlined 2025 accomplishments and 2026 goals including a $75,000 grant for playground surfacing at Little Platte, ADA ramp projects at marinas, software for marina management, and a master plan due Sept. 2026 to guide capital priorities and funding.
John Davis, Clay County parks director, presented the parks department’s 2025 accomplishments and priorities for 2026–27, telling commissioners that the combined parks and park-use tax budget is just under $12.4 million and that personnel accounts for roughly 47% of operating expenditures.
Davis said the department secured a $75,000 grant to replace playground surfacing at Little Platte with recycled tire products and plans to add more ADA-accessible equipment. The parks team described several infrastructure projects either underway or planned: ADA ramps at Camp Branch and Paradise Point marinas, an ARPA-funded waterline project that will move a lake water line into the Water District system, and replacement of aging equipment (UTVs, mowers, tractors) through lease or purchase.
Davis emphasized a master strategic plan that began in fall 2025 and is expected to be completed by September 2026; commissioners repeatedly said they want the plan to inform decisions about which assets to prioritize, which to subsidize and which could be run more like business units (e.g., marinas or the golf course). Several commissioners flagged concerns about dipping into use-tax fund balances for one-time capital projects and urged staff to pursue grants, sponsorships and marketing to support parks operations.
Commissioners also discussed a volunteer policy and whether a dedicated volunteer coordinator or reassignment of staff roles would be needed to manage increased volunteer activity. Davis said the policy and possible coordinator are under consideration and that staff are examining software to improve marina slip management and electronic communications with customers.
No votes were taken on major park budget items at the meeting; commissioners emphasized the master plan as a priority to define long-term staffing, capital and revenue strategies.
