Rohnert Park council accepts draft Parks and Recreation Master Plan, cites $99 million long-range estimate

Rohnert Park — The city council signaled unanimous support April 22 for a draft Parks and Recreation Master Plan that prioritizes renovating existing parks, fills program gaps for youth and active seniors, and lays out a 10‑plus year funding and implementation strategy. Cindy Bagley, director of community services, told council the plan includes 194 recommendations to address deficiencies, 55 proposed new amenities and 39 policy changes and that the fully loaded plan estimate is "a very big number of 99,000,000."

The plan, produced by consultant RHA with subconsultants, includes a needs assessment based on a statistically valid voter survey (626 responses) and an open community survey. Bagley said residents ranked playground and walking‑trail improvements, field maintenance, restroom upgrades and safety/lighting as top priorities. The draft inventories 28 parks, nine facilities and three pools and notes a shortage of rectangular fields used intensively for soccer and other sports.

Council members pressed for operational detail on custodial coverage and programming times and asked staff to explore partnerships with local gyms and sports organizations. A member of the Roanoke Park Pickleball Club urged quicker, lower‑cost repairs to existing courts; council asked staff to follow up on that specific proposal.

Bagley presented a conceptual vision for the underused Gold Ridge Recreation Center and outlined a near‑/mid‑/long‑term priority framework; near‑term priorities (0–5 years) include 108 total recommendations (15 for added amenities). For funding, the plan identifies a range of options — renewing Measure M, dedicated park development fees, infrastructure financing districts, parcel taxes or a sales tax measure — and notes that operational needs will require continued budget attention.

Councilors endorsed staff’s recommendation to "accept the draft as presented" and asked staff and consultants to return to council in May for formal adoption and to provide more granular cost and staffing breakdowns as part of implementation planning. The council did not authorize immediate spending; Bagley emphasized the $99 million estimate is fully loaded across many alternatives and not a next‑year mandate.

The plan recommends improving field scheduling and communications, expanding shade and tree planting, adding restrooms in high‑use parks, addressing ADA needs with an ADA transition plan, and creating clearer KPIs and cost‑tracking for recreation programs. If council approves the draft at the May meeting, staff will begin preparing an implementation schedule and detailed budget implications for future consideration.