Ashland board identifies stormwater diversion as top near-term park fix

Ashland board and staff singled out a focused stormwater diversion project as the highest near-term priority to protect playgrounds and any future park improvements. Staff described concentrated runoff that currently "goes straight through across College Street" and washes mulch and playground surfacing away; board members repeatedly said fixing that stormwater flow should precede expensive playground or landscaping upgrades.

"That storm project has to happen first," a staff member said, describing a plan to intercept water and route it back into the adjacent creek rather than letting it carve through the playground area. Members discussed that the corrective work could be relatively modest (figures cited in the meeting ranged from roughly $30,000–$50,000 for a targeted diversion), and that solving stormwater first would save future replacement costs for playground equipment and mulch.