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Council discusses KBY Park master plan, eyes combined 2030 projects for courts, parking and stormwater
Summary
Windsor Heights staff told council the KBY Park master plan’s remaining items — including tennis/pickleball courts, a rebuilt parking lot and stormwater upgrades — are now likely to be bundled for 2030 construction amid tighter city budgets and higher bid prices.
Windsor Heights City staff on Tuesday reviewed the city’s Colby (KBY) Park master plan and recommended consolidating several remaining park projects into a single construction package targeted for 2030.
The presentation, led by staff member AJ, recalled that the 2020 master plan identified roughly 14 project components and that the splash pad, playground, food‑truck plaza and portions of the community center and parking had been completed. AJ said earlier engineering estimates for new tennis and pickleball courts were “just under a million dollars” but that a previous responsive bid came in “just over $1.3 million,” and that rebidding now — with or without post‑tension concrete — could improve pricing.
The city also reported that boring samples from the existing community‑center parking lot showed the pavement sits essentially on wet soil with no proper subbase; staff said engineers now recommend full reconstruction with gravel and a geogrid subbase rather than a simple overlay. That work is being programmed alongside the tennis/pickleball courts and an upsized storm‑water system that conveys runoff into Walnut Creek, all currently proposed for 2030 in the draft CIP.
Councilors and staff discussed nonconstruction provisions of the master plan as well. Susan Spears cautioned that a dog‑park membership program recommended in the plan would likely require added amenities such as water or electric service and more maintenance; Andy, representing public works, described the existing dog‑park amenities as “basic” and said running utilities into that site would be costly and logistically challenging. Several council members said they preferred keeping the dog park free for residents and discussed options to handle nonresident access through pet licensing fees.
Other conceptual ideas in the master plan — a north plaza, a low‑maintenance walking labyrinth, a fitness circuit and a mural on the south edge of the baseball diamond — remain unscheduled in the CIP and would require separate design or funding decisions. AJ asked council whether staff should pursue additional engineering or simply hold the remaining projects as conceptual items; council members emphasized flexibility in schedule and said projects should be reconsidered as the city’s finances and grant prospects evolve.
The staff presentation also noted public interest in pickleball courts in recent years but said the city has only received a small number of direct resident inquiries. The council did not take a formal vote on a specific park project at the meeting; staff will incorporate council feedback as the CIP and upcoming budget discussions move forward, and the city anticipates further discussion of project timing and funding during the next budget cycle.
