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Audit follow-up finds most sampled park assets improved since 2009; playground inspection records remain inconsistent
Summary
The comptroller's audit found that in a sample of park assets, most were in better condition than in 2009, but the county still faces data-quality issues in asset tracking and inconsistent documentation of playground and pool inspections; Parks planning director said playground ratings are kept in a live cloud document covering 111 playgrounds.
The Audit Committee received a second follow-up on the parks infrastructure audit. Jennifer Folliard said auditors compared current conditions with a 2009 audit and found 13 assets in better condition and nine rated the same or better from the earlier review; improvements were supported by county funding, partnerships, grants, and third-party agreements. She also reported weaknesses in the county's asset data systems, including duplication and difficulty producing a comprehensive list of parks assets.
Sarah Thompson, director of planning for the Parks Department, answered supervisors' questions about playground inspections. Thompson said the department has one staff member who maintains ratings for 111 playgrounds in a live cloud document that can be downloaded on request and that the department combines age, condition, and the parks equity index to prioritize six playgrounds per capital cycle. On surfacing, she said roughly "20 or so" playgrounds still use sand and that rubber surfacing is most accessible but also the most expensive and typically lasts about 10 years.
