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Agency adds Geneva Jungle playground restoration to CRA plan after staff assessment
Summary
City staff presented an assessment that the wooden Geneva Jungle playground needs restoration and provided a placeholder estimate of $66,000; council voted to add the project to the CRA project list and to the capital improvement schedule, with work to begin after Oct. 1.
City staff told the Keystone Heights Community Redevelopment Agency on Aug. 3 that Geneva Jungle Playground, in Keystone Beach Park, needs restoration to extend its usable life while retaining its wooden character, and the board voted to add the project to the CRA project list and capital improvement plan.
“the playground is in need of a restoration to extend its usable life while maintaining its wooden character, which many residents have expressed, is very important to them online,” staff said during the presentation. Staff said Leathers and Associates provided a rough cost estimate of $66,000 as a placeholder and stressed that figure is preliminary: “$66,000 is not necessarily what it's gonna cost to do it.” The report also noted that engineered safety surfacing alone could cost in the $15,000–$20,000 range to bring the nearly 9,000-square-foot play area up to current standards.
Staff recommended adding the restoration project to the CRA project list and moving two other projects (parking and trailhead phase 2) out one year in the five-year schedule so reserves are not drawn down significantly. Council members praised the public response and said staff should continue refining scope and funding options, including donation and volunteer support.
A council member made the motion to add Geneva Jungle to the CRA plan and the council voted to approve it; staff said work would be pursued sometime after Oct. 1 and that the agency would keep the public informed as plans and cost estimates are refined.
The decision directs staff to develop a more detailed scope of work and cost estimates, coordinate volunteer involvement under appropriate oversight, and report back with recommendations on funding sources and timing.
