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Parks director announces splash pad ribbon cutting, Demuth upgrades and pickleball expansion
Summary
Palm Springs parks director Nick Gonzales told the Measure J Commission the downtown splash pad is complete with a May 26 ribbon cutting, Demuth Park improvements aim for October completion, pickleball courts will expand to 22 but open in July, and consultants are refining amphitheater upgrades to fit a $750,000 target.
Nick Gonzales, the city’s director of parks and recreation, told the Measure J Commission the downtown splash pad project is complete and a ribbon-cutting ceremony will be held Tuesday, May 26 at 4:00 p.m. "We're inviting all community members to come and participate with us as we celebrate this milestone," Gonzales said.
Gonzales provided a status report on several Measure J-funded park projects. He said Demuth Park is undergoing multiple improvements — including expanded dog parks, parking lot work and a new restroom building — and staff are targeting an October completion for the bulk of the work. "We're on track and we're scheduled for a targeted completion this October," he said.
The department is expanding pickleball facilities at Demuth Park from 12 to 22 courts. Gonzales said the project is slightly delayed to July because of a switchgear equipment order and coordination with the utility. "Project is slightly delayed to this summer in July and that's because of a switchgear order that we needed to place," Gonzales said.
On the downtown amphitheater, the city engaged the consultant MIG to produce four design options. Gonzales said the Parks & Recreation Commission is leaning toward an option that would add roughly 160 seats (from a current capacity near 644) and upgrade AV and storage. He said an initial cost estimate exceeded $1 million but noted the city has $750,000 from Measure M2 allocated; staff will refine the scope to try to stay within that funding and pursue grants if needed. "We have 750,000 from Measure M2 for this project. So our goal is to stick within that budget," Gonzales said.
Gonzales also described smaller projects and procurement matters: swim center locker-room renovations are in the design phase; Desert Highland Park playground pieces have been ordered but staff encountered issues with a previous vendor and expect a summer groundbreaking; and the Ruth Hardy Park workout space requires re-selection of a vendor due to legal procurement issues. "I can't divulge into exactly what those issues are just yet," he said about the vendor matter, adding the city will return to council for final approval after selecting a new vendor.
A community mural project at Demuth Park is moving forward with a change in approach after staff determined the field building could not support wall-mounted mural slabs; tile murals on a concrete pad are planned instead and the project will follow the public art approval process.
Commissioners asked clarifying questions throughout the update about capacity, funding sources and project timing; staff responded with schedule targets and next steps. No formal actions or budget approvals were taken during the parks presentation.
The commission received the updates and moved on to the evening's budget report, with staff noting several projects will require continued scope refinement and coordination with other funding sources.
