Dear Santa, the Parks Really Need ...

Maybe it’s all this talk of making a list and checking it twice, but city staff just made a list of possible big-ticket projects for local parks, and the panel that oversees them will be checking it twice.

And prioritizing them.

The Parks, Recreation and Senior Services met Monday to discuss possible parks projects that cost more than $50,000. A reoccurring theme with several was . 

“I wouldn’t want my 10-year-old to be playing on that grass,” said Commissioner Steve Behmerwohld.

Part of the park was ripped up last year to build two new water wells and the corresponding pipes. The construction, along with , left the fields gravely and uneven, .

The commission’s secretary, Cynthia Alexander, said the contractor has long since wrapped up the project and the city has signed off on the work. Public Works personnel do not believe the park to be a “true safety issue,” she said.

To bring any field in the city back to “pristine condition” would cost $60,000-$80,000 to grade, prepare the soil and plan seed, Alexander added.

“This is my concern,” Behmerwohld  said. “That’s where we are being asked to pay for something that was, in my opinion, never addressed by the contractor.”

However, Commission Chairwoman Kathy Hooper said the park does look better than in summer.

“For the most part, it’s been corrected,” she said. “Let’s just hope that the grass fills in. It’s workable, but it’s not what we had before.”

Still, Commissioner Ronald Denman wants the condition of Cook-La Novia Park addressed first.

“If there were any priorities, Cook Park should be the priority overall,” he said.

Commissioner Jenny Friess said she’s also worried about the condition of upper Cook Park, near Via Cordova.

“A lot of moms, dads and coaches have approached me with complaints of the condition of the fields, uneven, tripping, dog poop everywhere,” Friess said.

Other possible projects to be considered for construction through 2019 include upgrading the lighting in La Sala Auditorium and constructing more covered picnic areas at Cook-La Novia Park.

Alexander said staff is researching each project to make sure it would cost more than $50,000. Those that fall under may be submitted to Public Works to be put on the list of items to get to in the next year or two.

Commissioners said they would consider the list carefully, then get back to the city on which items are most important to them.