WORKSHOP ITEM - Robert Therres, Public Services Mgr./Asst. City Manager
Title
DISCUSSION ON PARK MASTER PLAN
Background
At the November 2019 council retreat, the council discussed a framework on how to address the recently completed parks master plan. Because of the size and breadth of the master plan, it was proposed to discuss it in several segments.
This first segment will be a brief history of how the plan was developed, what it includes, and some comparisons to national standards.
At the November council retreat, staff indicated that the improvements fall into three categories:
Routine replacement
Renovations/ADA enhancements
Major capital items
The city council indicated that they wanted to discuss the major capital items as they came forward. One capital item that is coming forward that relates to the park master plan is the parking lot improvements to Happy Acres Park, slated for 2021.
Happy Acres Park currently has a 65-space paved parking lot that is in poor condition. According to national park standards, and based on our current facilities Happy Acres should have a 160-space parking lot. The discussions on Happy Acres parking goes back to 2013 and pre-dates the parks master plan.
The 160-space parking lot is proposed to be funded from our park dedication fund and our parks and trail levy fund in 2021. The budgeted amount is $525,000.
The presentation will also identify priority 1(high priority) capital improvements where no funding source have been identified yet.
Recommendation
Provide feedback on parks master plan and discussion on inclusion of Happy Acres Parking lot in park dedication fund and parks and trail levy fund.