Commission hears plan for six-person seasonal maintenance team to address deferred park repairs

City parks staff described a new seasonal maintenance team that the Parks & Recreation Commission will oversee implementation of beginning this spring. Mister Cortez said the program will hire six part-time maintenance assistants to work April through October on deferred maintenance tasks such as restroom and picnic-shelter painting, curb striping, signage repair, infill planting, fertilizing turf in passive-use fields and minor facility repairs.

Cortez said the City Council approved a fiscal-year 2026 budget adjustment on Feb. 4 to fund the six part-time positions; the presentation listed a total annual program budget of $245,600 and noted each position will be capped at 999 hours to remain within part-time limits. The seasonal team is intended to supplement, not replace, full-time maintenance crews: larger repairs will remain the responsibility of the regular staff while the seasonal crew focuses on cyclical refreshes and deferred tasks.

Commissioners asked how work will be assigned and how the seasonal team will coordinate with the new park-inspection program. Cortez said park-specific task lists were developed with the parks supervisor so crews can “hit the ground running,” and that the seasonal staff will address many items identified by park inspections, while substantial repairs will be escalated to full-time crews.

Staff said recruitment will begin after budget approval with the goal of onboarding the seasonal crew by spring. Commissioners generally voiced support and asked for a status report after the first season to compare before-and-after conditions.