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Encinitas parks commission approves 2026–27 work plan, assigns ad hocs for courts, trails and outreach
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Summary
The Encinitas Parks and Recreation Commission unanimously approved its 2026–27 work plan with updates, creating ad-hoc groups for items including pickleball/tennis monitoring, trails mapping, park naming and sports-field use; staff will present the plan to city council for review.
Vice Chair Vender Aura, presiding in Chair Cappiello’s absence, led the Encinitas Parks and Recreation Commission through a line-by-line review of its proposed 2026–27 work plan and moved to adopt the plan with the edits discussed at the meeting.
The commission approved projected outcomes for nine work-plan items and signed up commissioners to serve on several ad-hoc teams. "Commissioners will become engaged, educated, and aware of current statistics, trends, and community interest in the public use of parks, beaches, trails, and recreation," Vender Aura read when presenting the tour and outreach language and asked commissioners to volunteer to participate in tours and outreach events.
Staff and commissioners flagged several specific priorities. Manager Norgard told the panel a prior feasibility study about adding pickleball courts at Encinitas Community Park has been shared with council but no budget action has been taken; commissioners agreed to continue monitoring tennis and pickleball court use, visit sites and seek resident feedback. Commissioners volunteered for an ad hoc to examine court use and potential allocation changes.
The commission also agreed to maintain a parks-master-plan review on the work plan. Vice Chair Vender Aura and staff recommended commissioners read the parks master plan and the recreation element of the general plan, and an ad hoc will compare master plans from nearby cities to identify possible updates; Manager Norgard said the parks master plan is about eight years old and the recreation element is older and could use a refresh.
On a separate item, the panel decided to remove the Pacific View pollinator-garden feasibility task from the work plan because staff and community partners are now taking the lead. Norgard reported the Leucadia Oaks native demonstration garden design is scheduled for city council review tomorrow; if council approves, city staff plan a contractor demo and a community planting event in June.
Commissioners also signed up to review sports-field allocation at Encinitas Community Park and YMCA fields, and to participate in outreach and the holiday-parade entry. Several commissioners encouraged improved city social-media promotion of events, and staff advised checking Brown Act guidance before commissioners create coordinated social-platform accounts.
A motion to approve the work plan "as noted" passed with the clerk recording that all commissioners present voted yes; Chair Cappiello was absent. After the vote, staff said the approved work plan will go to city council for review and the commission will implement the ad-hoc assignments over the coming year.
The commission adjourned at about 6:29 p.m.
