Commission recommends town council replace Rancho Laguna picnic tables with salvaged redwood

Parks and Recreation Director Mackenzie Grady told the commission she recommends replacing the aging picnic tables and barbecues at Rancho Laguna Park with locally salvaged, milled redwood.

"My recommendation to the Parks and Recreation Commission is to recommend the town council that the Rancho Laguna Park picnic tables be replaced with locally salvaged and milled redwood materials," Grady said during a presentation that summarized scope, accessibility improvements and budget impacts.

Nut graf: The recommendation, supported by available diversion-incentive (RecycleSmart) funds and town asset-replacement funds, passed the commission. Staff said salvaging redwood from trees removed at the Ream Shopping Center and the library would supply most of the roughly 3,000 board feet needed and reduce lumber costs: an estimated $5,000–$6,500 for milling salvaged lumber versus roughly $12,000 for new material.

Grady walked commissioners through project details including replacement of tabletop tops with 4x6 redwood planks, repainting and resetting existing steel frames where needed, installation of three town-owned barbecues and an ADA pathway from the parking lot to the north picnic area. She said the base project — ADA pathway, repainting frames, milling and installation — is approximately $106,700 and that the project has about $155,000 available, leaving roughly $49,000 for contingencies or additional table replacements.

Commissioners asked practical and maintenance questions. One commissioner raised concerns about powder-coated frames and whether they can be sanded, primed and painted; another asked how staff reached labor-hour estimates for ongoing maintenance. Grady said staff based those estimates on prior work on both recycled-plastic and wood tables and that the department will include surface-preparation specifications in the formal bid packet. On durability, one commissioner praised the recycled-redwood approach and noted that switching from recycled-plastic tables would avoid placing an estimated 6,000 pounds of plastic into the waste stream over time.

The commission formally moved to recommend that the town council proceed with locally salvaged and milled redwood for the Rancho Laguna picnic-table replacements. The motion passed; staff will finalize scope and bid documents and return to council with a construction-contract recommendation (staff cited a target council agenda of September 9 for the construction contract recommendation, with possible project start in October and completion before the rainy season).

Ending: With the commission’s recommendation approved, staff will prepare formal bid documents and return the item to the town council for final authorization.