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Commission discusses opening school play yards, playground upkeep and pickleball rules
Summary
Commissioners debated re-opening school play yards to increase recreational space, raised liability and funding questions including possible Quimby fund use, and asked staff to check maintenance routines after a commissioner reported deteriorating conditions at Anderson Park; pickleball open-play limits (30 drop-ins) were discussed as a recent operational change.
The Public Amenities Commission on July 8 discussed several recurring parks issues: whether to pursue reopening school play yards to expand park space, how to fund and insure such access, operational changes to Altavista Park's pickleball open-play rules and follow-up on playground maintenance complaints at Anderson Park.
Commissioner Lang raised the idea of contacting the school district about opening former school play yards and noted that some school properties were leased after closures during COVID. Lang recommended a commission-led review of liability and maintenance models before asking the council to pursue negotiations. "I think there's a lot of value in pursuing this conversation and opening it back up if we can," Lang said.
Staff said the topic had been raised previously and that the city council had not prioritized the proposal earlier; Community Services staff recommended the commission consider a subcommittee or use the facilities user committee to explore specifics. When asked whether Quimby funds could be used for improvements, staff said they did not have an immediate answer and would need to check the program language and return with guidance.
Separately, Altavista Park's pickleball subcommittee reported recent operational changes: open play has been limited to the first 30 drop-in players who pay a $5 fee, and the group is reviewing reservation and safety processes. Commissioners discussed studying user counts and possible cross-striping nearby tennis courts to increase capacity.
Commissioner Yousefai asked staff to check maintenance schedules after reporting the toddler area at Anderson Park was "a wreck" with progressive deterioration and dirt on equipment. Deputy Director Orta said Public Works would be asked to follow up and that staff would return with information on whether cleaning is in a routine work plan or handled by contract.
No formal policy or funding decisions were made; commissioners asked staff to research liability, funding options and maintenance schedules and to return with recommendations for next steps.
