Linden council adopts park master plans, selects East Bench sketch and directs shade and seating

Mayor Carolyn Lundberg and the Linden City Council on Jan. 5 adopted a set of park master plans and gave staff direction to refine amenities and pursue funding.

The council voted to approve a resolution (corrected in the record to reference 2026) adopting the master plans and to proceed with the city’s preferred concept for the Linden East Bench Park (Sketch 2). The motion, made by Council Member Cole Hooley and seconded by Jake Hoyt, included explicit recommendations that the plans add benches for parents to observe children and that staff investigate and include shade structures where practicable: at Thornton Park’s playground, City Center Park’s playground and bleacher areas, and as an investigation item for the rodeo grounds. After discussion about design trade-offs—particularly parking, sight lines and shade—the council carried the motion; one member voiced a Nay on the record and explained the concern that the council might be missing an opportunity for larger ball courts on the east side.

Why it matters: the adopted master plan is the document staff will use to apply for grants and to guide future engineering and construction work. Council members emphasized that the plan is a framework and that minor tweaks may follow during engineering and final design; staff told the council it would return with any material adjustments before construction drawings are finalized.

What the plans cover: consultants presented revisions for several parks. For Thornton Park staff and consultants described narrowed parking-lot entrances, added pull-outs and a crosswalk, a fenced playground, a stormwater multiuse lawn area and roughly 15 parking stalls in the conceptual layout (with one ADA striped access area reserved). City Center Park concepts include converting a portion of turf parking to a gravel lot north of a small field and carving 5–8 additional asphalt stalls subject to survey; staff noted consultant cost estimates are limited to park improvements and exclude road and utility reconstruction costs. For the East Bench site, the council reviewed options including four pickleball courts versus a more passive model with a pump track and one pickleball court; staff said fitting multiple courts without acquiring adjacent property is not feasible because of utilities and guy wires.

Grants and next steps: councilmembers directed staff to use the adopted master plans to pursue current grant opportunities, including land‑and‑water grant cycles that are opening now. Staff said that minor plan tweaks can be made before final engineering and that they will include a notation on the drawings to further investigate shade. The mayor and staff encouraged grant applications during the current cycle to preserve funding opportunities.

Dissent and caveats: the lone recorded dissenting voice expressed that adding more large ball courts on the east side could better serve some user groups; the council did not change its adopted preference but recorded the concern for future consideration. Staff highlighted that master plans funded with some federal grants (such as certain Land and Water Conservation Fund awards) require parkland to remain recreation use and that conversions to nonrecreational uses are difficult and uncommon.

What comes next: staff will proceed with grant applications and will return with engineering-level plans and any recommended changes. The council’s action creates an official planning framework that staff can use to apply for funding and more detailed design work.