Deep peat forces rethink of courts at Sunrise Pond Park; staff to check developer credits

Park staff told the Blaine Park Advisory Board on Nov. 25 that geotechnical work at Sunrise Pond Park uncovered very deep peat — roughly 16–18 feet in places — in the area where courts were planned, and that correcting the site would be costly and could risk nearby improvements.

Jerome said staff tested the east and west ends of the site and "on the east end, it was 18 feet of peat before we hit solid ground" and described previous local examples where uncorrected soil caused courts to sink. He said the contractor stopped work after encountering the peat and that, given the site conditions and proximity to other park improvements, building the courts now appears infeasible.

Staff told the board that not constructing the courts would leave about $180,000 unspent in the budget for that element. Commissioners pressed staff on whether the city could recoup value from the developer because part of the donated land proved unusable; Jerome said he would check with engineering and planning about options and whether any park-dedication credits could be reclaimed.

Board members raised concerns about the relationship with the developer and the risk of repairing the soil (which could endanger the playground and parking already corrected). Jerome said the parking and playground areas had been corrected and are not in immediate danger.

Staff indicated the area would likely be irrigated and seeded as an open space if courts are not built and returned to the board with any engineering and planning findings about recoupment options.