Parks director presents $12.2M parks budget and $1.5M Memorial Pool plan

Parks Director Giffrin (speaker 6) presented the parks proposed budget, saying the Parks Department's FY27 outline is balanced at just over $12.2 million and includes a number of capital investments tied to aging infrastructure. He said seasonal-salary costs increased by about 11% and highlighted a proposed Memorial Pool renovation estimated at approximately $1.5 million, with an estimated $750,000 contribution from the parks capital account and additional sales-tax capital funds to cover the remainder.

Giffrin said the Memorial Pool renovation is expected to extend the pool's useful life by an estimated 10–15 years and that construction documents were being prepared. He also noted a Washington Park digital-sign project (~$69,777) and identified other capital-replacement needs across parks facilities. The parks fund balance projection showed revenues around $11.9 million and expenditures around $12.2 million, requiring a transfer of about $2,068,357 from the park fund balance and leaving an estimated available fund balance of about $3.3 million under the city's 17% reserve policy.

Councilors pressed for continued growth of the parks fund balance, citing the long-term cost of facility replacement and the community value of parks amenities. Giffrin said staff are assembling deferred-maintenance lists and a long-term capital plan and that some projects will be phased over multiple years.