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Board sets next steps for East Ranch Community Park, votes to place plan on future agenda and to consider funding for design work
Summary
The board directed staff to return the East Ranch Community Park phase‑3 plan for formal consideration and voted to discuss a budget adjustment to fund visual assessments and preliminary engineering (estimated $15,000–$20,000); members debated fundraising, a possible 501(c)(3) vehicle, and permitting strategy.
The board spent an extended portion of its Feb. 12 meeting on the East Ranch Community Park phase‑3 concept, focusing on how to move from concept to funded construction while protecting limited district resources.
Staff presented estimated costs for a visual assessment ($1,500–$2,000 per vendor quote) and preliminary design and permitting supplied by the district’s contracted civil engineer (estimated $15,000–$20,000). "Some of those planning and design costs went up after county planners indicated everything will need a permit," General Manager McElhaney told the board. The staff packet also summarized that some community donors had expressed interest in particular features (for example, a Lions Club pledge toward a gazebo element).
Board members debated sequencing: permit everything at once for potential per‑feature savings, or phase features to fund parts incrementally. Director Thomas (pros committee chair) urged the board to fund the initial engineering and visual assessment so the committee could pursue grants and focused fundraising: "That small 15 to $20k of funding would give us that information, and then...we can apply for grants and increase the probability of success," he said.
Other directors pressed caution because CCSD’s general fund and maintenance commitments are constrained. Several members and staff discussed a community‑led 501(c)(3) or an external donation vehicle (Edward Jones custodial account was proposed by a community liaison) to avoid the community’s reluctance to donate directly to the district. Staff noted community donors frequently prefer gifts to a nonprofit or restricted fund rather than paying CCSD directly.
The board voted to add a formal item for adoption of the community park plan to a future agenda and, in a separate vote, approved placing a budget‑adjustment discussion on a future agenda to fund visual assessment and preliminary engineering. Director Gray voted against the second motion; the rest of the board voted in favor.
Next steps: staff will prepare the recommended park‑plan adoption item and return with a proposed budget adjustment and path for funding the preliminary visual and engineering work; the pros committee will continue outreach and work with potential fundraising partners to align donor commitments with the scope of the plan.
