Properties committee backs RH Johnson courtyard refresh concept, forwards $50,000 cap to governing board

The Properties Committee on Jan. 6 agreed to recommend to the governing board a concept-level refresh of the RH Johnson courtyard, asking staff to proceed with planning under a proposed $50,000 maximum budget and to return with more detailed estimates.

The chair summarized prior discussions and suggested leaving large-scale decisions to the master-plan process while authorizing a modest, reusable refresh now. CIP manager Herschel Workman and staff said planning dollars are in the budget and that short-term improvements (furniture, aesthetic updates, temporary activations) could be scoped so they remain compatible with the master plan.

Committee members asked how to ensure the refreshed area would attract people without a food or beverage anchor; ideas ranged from a mobile coffee cart and temporary performance staging to rotating activities and flexible seating. Director feedback from visits to other communities supported creating flexible, relaxing "flex space." Steven Erno (general manager) and others cautioned against permanent investments that could conflict with future master-plan outcomes.

The committee reached consensus to forward the concept to the governing board with a $50,000 not-to-exceed initial budget, with staff to gather vendor pricing, electrical requirements and power estimates and to return with firmer numbers. Public online commenters raised similar concerns about spending before master-plan adoption; staff emphasized reuse of materials so improvements would not be wasted.