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Urbandale council approves multiple park and recreation purchases including playgrounds, splash pad equipment and gym upgrades
Summary
Council approved staff recommendations to purchase playground equipment at Lakeview, Foxtail and Bestland parks, ordered splash pad equipment for Walnut Creek Regional Park, and authorized Recreation Station floor and overhead volleyball equipment work; several purchases rely on Sourcewell cooperative contracts and were approved by council vote.
The council approved a cluster of staff-recommended purchases for parks and recreation equipment and facility upgrades.
Assistant parks and arts director Scott Hoke presented multiple park projects: a Lakeview playground replacement (staff install, not-to-exceed $45,000), a Foxtail Park playground (not-to-exceed $60,000), and a Bestland Park playground package including pour-in-place surfacing (not to exceed $205,000). Hoke said staff solicited proposals (eight to nine vendors and multiple proposals per park) and considered online resident comments when evaluating options. "We had 8 vendors submit a total of 12 proposals," Hoke said of Lakeview; for Walnut Creek splash pad design work he reported 247 online comments influenced selection of preferred 'pods.'
For Walnut Creek Regional Park, staff proposed purchasing equipment from Landscape Structures through Sourcewell and combining three equipment "pods" (identified as options b, c and i) based on resident feedback; council approved council letter 8532 to order the equipment and bid the install separately. Hoke explained the Sourcewell contract and said the equipment’s activator system is battery powered and relies on water pressure, reducing the need to run power to the site.
The council also approved Recreation Station upgrades that include removing and replacing the wood gym floor, painting multiple court layouts (basketball, volleyball and pickleball), installing overhead volleyball standards that raise and lower from the ceiling, and adding polyurethane exterior surfacing to reduce hazardous transition points. "The floor is not scheduled to come out until August or September," Hoke said; the council approved council letter 8524 for the work and later approved related purchases and rate changes (council letters 8525 and 8530 for flooring and rental rates).
Why it matters: The approved purchases replace aging playground structures, expand water play amenities, and add multi-sport gym flexibility—changes that affect neighborhood park access, recreation programming, and capital spending schedules. Several procurements used cooperative (Sourcewell) contracts to streamline purchasing.
