Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Parks And Recreation topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Yukon parks director outlines ‘Lawn at the Library,’ new playgrounds, events and budget work
Summary
At the Feb. 18 Yukon Park and Recreation Board meeting, Ryan (parks staff) summarized projects including the new ‘Lawn at the Library,’ three playground installations, a March softball tournament, expanded youth signups and work on a zero-based budget; the board approved minutes from Jan. 21, 2026.
Ryan, a member of the Yukon Parks and Recreation staff, presented a monthlong department update at the board’s Feb. 18 meeting covering facility projects, staffing, events and budget preparations.
He said the library-adjacent project will be called the Lawn at the Library and will include a pavilion for concerts and library programming, a lawn area for audience seating, sidewalks on the north and south sides, a four-foot fence enclosing the space, new signage and parking-lot safety improvements. "It's gonna be called the Lawn at The library," Ryan said, and the city plans a ribbon-cutting in early March once final elements are confirmed.
The presentation covered multiple park improvements. Ryan reported three additional playgrounds will receive equipment at City Park, Sunrise and Hillcrest and said crews have begun demo and drainage work at Sunrise Park. Work at Sunrise also includes infield laser leveling and base preparation for softball; Ryan said requested outfield fencing and lighting are part of next year’s capital-budget submittal.
On programming and events, Ryan highlighted a rescheduled daddy–daughter dance that drew just under 700 attendees, a DRC "sweetheart supper" attended by 24 couples, a veterans mural mosaic project with community painting sessions, a Kids Trout Out at Welch Park Pond on March 7, a flashlight Easter egg hunt on March 27 and Yukon Senior Games returning in April (the board was told it is the event's 25th year). A Battle of the Bat softball tournament set for late February/early March has eight teams registered, the maximum the city can host without field lighting.
Ryan said athletics registrations are up across youth sports: eight additional basketball teams compared with the prior season, six more baseball teams and 71 softball sign-ups. Yukon will partner with neighboring El Reno for some games.
Budget work is underway, Ryan said: capital requests were submitted in January and general-fund requests are due at month-end. He described the city's move to a zero-based budgeting process for the year and said it is time-consuming now but intended to be more effective in future years.
Other operational items included planned DRC facility upgrades (new flooring, lighting and a coffee bar in late March/early April), ongoing fence repairs at City Park, new soccer-field and fencing work at Taylor Park and engineering drawings to put the Freedom Trail restroom project out to bid.
Board business was routine: there were no public comments, the board approved the minutes from Jan. 21, 2026 (motion moved and seconded on the record), and members used open discussion to praise staff for cleanup after recent storms and for progress on parks projects. The chair noted the next meeting is tentatively scheduled for March 18 at 6 p.m. but the date may shift so the master-plan team can present to city council on the same trip.
The department directed members and the public to program and job-posting information at yukonokay.gov/fun and yukonokay.gov/catalog for signups and employment opportunities.
