Parks Board reviews playground rollout, Miracle League lease and storm-damage repairs

At a Parks Board meeting, officials reviewed plans for a small playground ordered with a target installation date of July 1 and discussed signage options and other parks projects. The board also heard that Miracle League plans to lease a field at Osborne Park, and that staff are progressing on insurance assessments and repairs after recent storm damage.

The Chair said the playground components had been ordered and that the board will fund installation from its $50,000 maintenance allocation, existing pass-through funds and a non-reverting fund. “I think this will be a huge huge part of our playground,” the Chair said, adding the target date for installation is July 1. Board members asked about the location (behind Shelter House One, beside the new playground) and whether surface material would be mulch rather than turf because of expense.

The board discussed three design options for a new Osborne Park sign: an ornamental iron-style fence, a plain option and a framed, stucco-look option. The Chair said she favored the ornamental iron option and asked members for input; one member noted the chosen sign would be about 15 feet tall and raised maintenance concerns. “One’s a nice look,” another board member said when endorsing the ornamental option.

A board member suggested involving the local high school welding class to help fabricate metal elements of the sign; the Chair said the school could likely complete that work before the fall or by the end of the year.

On recreation programming and partnerships, the Chair said the Miracle League has picked Osborne Park as its intended site and that Mr. Harvey is drafting lease and agreement language. The Chair said the board received a letter from Cindy Brooks indicating the organization “hopes to have it completed by 2027,” but that exact grant and funding details were not specified. The Chair said the Miracle League currently lacks its own dedicated field and the board will assist where possible.

The Chair also updated the board on storm-related damage and insurance steps: staff removed a tree from a building as requested by the insurer and are awaiting an assessment; Dave Barker is compiling square-foot estimates for repairs. “We will rebuild, but maybe not exactly the way it was,” the Chair said, noting final rebuilding will depend on insurance proceeds.

Staffing and seasonal operations were also addressed. The Chair said parks employ two full-time and soon two part-time workers and that part-time staff have not received raises in several years due to budget limits. The pool is set to open May 26; staff have run multiple lifeguard certification sessions and the Chair noted certification costs around $250 per lifeguard, a cost that grant funding has sometimes covered.

Other updates included recreation participation — the walking club averaged about 17 people per day in April and disc golf use appears high — and operational plans such as a planned controlled burn at Osborne Park coordinated with Chief Moore. For traffic safety, staff are installing speed bumps at Baker Park to slow vehicles at peak school pickup times, and police will assist at busy pool times to manage traffic.

Mayor York, speaking near the end of the meeting, said park activity — including disc golf — seems higher than in prior years: “I can’t believe how many people already have attended the park playing disc golf,” the Mayor said.

The Chair closed by thanking staff and volunteers and said the board would cancel next month’s meeting if there were no action items.

What’s next: no formal votes or motions were recorded in the transcript; staff will continue lease drafting for Miracle League, await insurer assessment for storm damage, and proceed with the playground and signage work as described.