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Parks director details new rec centers, $20 million sports‑park turf proposal and staffing needs
Summary
Parks & Recreation staff outlined facility inventories, staffing requests and capital needs for FY25‑26 — including a proposed $20 million Sports Park Phase 2 to turf athletic fields, new mowers and weather‑alert systems — and provided a bond and construction update on the Reese and Sports Park projects.
Parks & Recreation staff presented a department overview and the FY25‑26 budget request, listing assets, staffing levels and several capital priorities for the coming year. The department reported it manages roughly 220 acres of park space, eight playgrounds, soccer fields and two regional parks, and operates a nine‑hole golf course; current personnel totals were described as 30 full‑time and eight part‑time employees, with a request to add eight full‑time positions and up to 80 part‑time slots as buffer positions.
The presentation included capital requests such as an audible/visual severe‑weather alert system at the sports park and golf course, a John Deere specialty reel unit to replace aging mowers, and a prioritized repair of East Mount Cemetery Road. On larger projects, the department outlined a Sports Park Phase 2 plan “which would run about 20,000,000 and that would be to turf all our baseball fields,” a move staff said would reduce rainouts and attract tournaments. Staff also described membership changes and pricing tiers for the new facilities, including a lower‑cost Reese membership and a Sports Park Center membership that covers both sites.
Bruce (Parks staff) provided a bond and construction update for the Reese facility and Sports Park, saying pending change orders and owner‑approved change orders together adjusted contract figures; staff reported the pool contractor is expected to begin excavation in early July and showed photos of stucco and roof progress. The department presented fund‑level personnel costs and projections, estimating total personnel costs for the parks, recreation and golf funds at roughly $4.4 million for the coming cycle and stating equipment maintenance has driven some of the budget increases.
Council members thanked staff for the presentation; no formal action was taken during the presentation, though later consent items and capital contracts were approved for unrelated projects. The department said it will return to council with any contract approvals and requested items as needed.
