Sammamish commission reviews six‑year parks CIP, asks commissioners to name top priorities before June Council briefing

City staff briefed the Sammamish Parks and Recreation Commission on a six‑year Capital Improvement Plan on May 6 and asked commissioners to identify early project priorities to shape the two‑year budget the city will present to the City Council.

Anjali Meyer, director of Parks and Recreation, said the CIP is a planning document that lays out renovation, development and acquisition projects and that the city separates operating expenditures (salaries, maintenance and recreation programs) from capital work. Meyer told commissioners the department’s current capital fund balance is about $32 million and staff expect roughly $3 million per year from the real‑estate excise tax, about $225,000 per year in park impact fees and roughly $650,000 per year from the King County levy—about $4 million in new revenue annually to add to the fund.

The plan lists a mix of near‑term capital replacement projects and longer‑range master‑plan build‑outs. Michelle Arab, parks project manager, said recurring capital replacement work is budgeted at roughly $200,000 per year for smaller repairs (irrigation, garden bed replacement, bridge repairs) while larger replacements can become separate line items. Staff estimated a full playground replacement—including surfacing, furnishings and permitting—at around $1 million per playground.

Staff identified three large, multi‑year projects as the CIP’s major items: Klahani Park, Big Rock Park South and Beaver Lake Park. On Big Rock Park South, Meyer said staff paused capital advancement pending a market analysis and lifecycle and operating‑cost estimates; the city is contracting with the same consultant performing a market analysis for Building 120 to reduce ramp‑up time.

Beaver Lake Park was presented as two scopes: lakeside improvements (shoreline, parking, utilities, playground and trails) with a planning estimate around $10.5 million, and separate athletic‑field work. Staff recalled three previously developed options for athletic improvements—retain and upgrade infields, a larger renovation adding a multipurpose field and three Little League fields, or a hybrid approach with lighting—and recommended re‑evaluating those options now.

Commissioners pressed staff to clarify the $32 million figure and how annual spending typically varies; Meyer said the amount reported is the current fund balance and that annual spending ranges widely by year depending on the scale of projects. Commissioners also asked for clearer mapping to distinguish city‑owned parks from King County parks; staff agreed to revise the presentation map for clarity.

Several commissioners urged staff to prioritize safety and maintenance‑driven repairs (fields and playgrounds) and suggested the commission provide high/medium/low use classifications or trail counter data to help rank projects. Meyer said trail counters and other usage data are available in some places and staff can report usage levels at the June meeting.

Staff asked each commissioner to submit their top two projects (and up to two projects they could defer) before the June 3 meeting to help shape staff recommendations for the June 9 Council briefing. Meyer emphasized staffing limits—the department currently has two planning staff handling projects and estimates completing roughly one master plan every two years—so realistic expectations about project throughput are needed.

The commission agreed to receive a follow‑up CIP discussion in June and, if necessary, convene additional meetings before the budget is finalized in the fall. The commission will forward staff recommendations and the commissioners’ priorities to Council for consideration.