Board approves $934,158 in Measure Q county projects for parks, wildfire resilience and park maintenance pilot

The Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors on Aug. 25 approved a $934,158 package of county-paced projects funded from Measure Q, the local half-cent measure voters approved to fund water quality, wildfire risk reduction and parks. County staff said the investments prioritize projects that are ready to proceed and minimize exposure to the general fund.

Claire Peabody, a senior administrative analyst supporting the Measure Q grant program, told the board that roughly $1.4 million of Measure Q is allocated to the county annually and that the recommended county portfolio for fiscal 2026–27 focuses largely on parks and wildfire resilience. "The total amount of our recommended portfolio this year is $934,000," Peabody said. The largest single piece is a parks deferred-maintenance and vegetation-management pilot budgeted at $520,000 to create a small crew and pay for supplies and services to address high-priority repairs across county parks.

Deputy director Rebecca Hurley described the deferred-maintenance pilot as a response to an estimated backlog: "We have over $90,000,000 in identified deferred maintenance that we don't have a funding mechanism or a dedicated staff to attend to," she said. The pilot pairs $235,000 for staffing and $285,000 for supplies and services, with the team pivoting into vegetation management once supplies are exhausted.

Wildfire-resilience investments include a strategic water-supply enhancement pilot to install two initial-attack tanks, truck-wayfinding signage for rural networks, and a countywide wildfire-risk prioritization analysis that will develop shared data for fire districts. Parks projects funded in the allocation include Moran Lake vegetation management and additional funding to complete Winkel Park's playground replacement, which staff said is currently closed and will serve hundreds of new nearby residents. Deputy director Dave Reed said the water-tank pilot and prioritization work are designed to support both public agencies and private-property preparedness.

The board heard public support from County Park Friends, the Land Trust of Santa Cruz County and multiple fire-district officials who praised the focus on readiness and resilience. After discussion, the board voted 5–0 to approve the county portfolio and directed staff to implement the projects and return with a report on progress.