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City pursues park upgrades, playground and $219,000 walking-trail grant
Summary
Bart officials described a series of park improvements including a pending $219,000 Great Strides Trail grant for an ADA walking trail, a $15,000 playground grant bid, donated playground equipment and bicycles, and operational planning for restrooms, concessions and porta‑potty rentals.
Bart city officials on Monday outlined multiple park upgrades and programming plans, driven by recent grant activity and donated equipment. Mayor Dennis Stevens and city staff said the city applied for a $15,000 matching grant to add playground equipment and reported the city will contribute roughly $15,540 from local 1% sales tax to meet the project cost.
The council said the city was awarded a $219,000 Great Strides Trail grant to build a walking trail and ADA parking in the city park; staff expects an April webinar that could clear the way for soliciting bids and moving the trail project into the contracting phase. The grant and matching local funds aim to add an accessible trail and parking to the park, officials said.
Clerk Stacy provided a status report on ballfield spending and donations, saying the city has paid for field work and accepted a scoreboard donation; she noted that some items remain unpaid, including padding and netting (specific dollar amounts in the minutes were formatted inconsistently and were not specified in the transcript). The council discussed restroom and umpire facility needs and reviewed a porta‑potty rental quote of $295 per month for two regular units and one handicap unit (regular units $85/month; handicap unit $100/month), which would be serviced weekly.
Mayor Stevens described other enhancements and community programs tied to the park: the Bikes for Kids (B4K) program has agreed to donate five refurbished bicycles (two adult, three children); Stevens volunteered to build a bike rack and suggested an honor-system bike-share with signage and oversight. City staff said they will coordinate tree plantings (12 oak trees) and consider parking and crosswalk improvements on city-owned parcels north of Highway 42 for overflow parking during events.
Officials also discussed concession operations, noting interest in vendor participation (Dad’s Barbecue was invited to the food court) and the possibility of partnering with Cherry Fest to share or lease concession infrastructure. Staff said volunteerism levels have declined and the city will continue outreach to identify vendor and volunteer operators for concession services.
Next steps: staff expects the April webinar for the trail grant to determine procurement timing, will continue vendor outreach for concessions, and will seek to finalize porta‑potty rental arrangements and remaining park contract details.
