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Battleground lays out 2027 priorities for streets, parks, facilities and transportation
Summary
Public Works Director Mark Hersik presented four priority areas for 2027 — streets, parks, facilities and capital transportation — asking council for guidance on arterial preservation, land acquisition for parks and procurement and financing options for a $10–$30 million operations center project.
Public Works Director Mark Hersik opened a study session asking the City Council for input on 2027 budget priorities, focusing on streets, parks, facilities and capital transportation. "Maintenance of city streets was first on the priority list the community," he said, and promised staff would present a final street rating and a follow-up briefing to help set preservation and reconstruction priorities.
Hersik highlighted parks planning and land acquisition in growth areas, stressing that neighborhood parks (3–5 acres) and community parks (5–10 acres) must be secured before development consumes available parcels. He told the council staff had applied for a state Recreation and Conservation Office grant and that the city had received about $400,000 for Remy Park. "It's important that we acquire land for these parks prior to it all being developed," Hersik said.
On facilities, Hersik recommended a multi‑phased approach to expand the operations center. He said funding is available to complete a $10 million phase one, but phase two would cost about $20 million and would require additional financing. "There are pros to bonding or loans — it addresses inflation risk and keeps operations going — and cons, including competing debt capacity with large sewer and water projects," he said. Staff said they would return with procurement‑method options, including traditional design‑bid‑build, the state GCCM model, or design‑build.
Transportation discussion focused on a proposed two‑lane roundabout and associated widening for Northwest Fifth Street. Hersik shared an early estimate of roughly $6.8 million that includes roughly a 30 percent contingency and design/construction management costs; he cautioned the figure is based on high‑level analysis. Several council members urged staff to pursue a legislative funding ask and to press the state for help widening SR‑503 to Onsdorf before committing local funds; others warned the roundabout could become a bottleneck without additional widening.
What’s next: staff will present the street‑rating report and a procurement and financing briefing for the operations center, and will return with further cost estimates and sequencing options for transportation projects.
