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Parks director: years of underinvestment left $90M in medium/high‑risk assets; council weighs priorities
Summary
Parks Director Michael Kashuba presented a five‑year overview showing approximately $90 million in medium/high‑risk park assets identified in 2019 and outlined $36 million of improvements completed since 2021; council and public urged better contractor oversight and more funding for maintenance and restrooms.
Michael Kashuba, Amarillo’s director of Parks & Recreation, presented a multi‑hour briefing that traced asset and maintenance challenges back years and summarized projects completed since 2021. The department’s 2019 asset management inventory showed about $48 million in high‑risk and another $42 million in medium‑risk assets—roughly $90 million combined. Kashuba told the council the department has invested more than $36 million over the past five years from ARPA, COs, grants and partnerships to replace playgrounds, install lighting at major parks and build or renovate pools and other amenities.
Kashuba and councilmembers discussed staffing shortfalls (recent reductions from 72 to 44 full‑time maintenance positions), the shift to contractor support, vandalism and graffiti, and the parks E&I budget (currently about $922,000 annually). Residents and a parks board member pressed for clearer contractor oversight and faster repairs at John Ward and John Stiff parks. "We have too many assets and not enough funding to maintain them at the desired level," Kashuba said; council asked staff to return with prioritized funding targets, better contract performance metrics and options for repairing restrooms and irrigation systems.
