To: Honorable Chair and Members of the Recreation and Park Commission
RECOMMENDATION
To approve the City of Alameda Recreation and Parks Department Park Prioritization Plan for FY 2026-27.
From: Justin Long, Recreation and Parks Director
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The City of Alameda FY 2026-27 Park Prioritization Plan outlines a strategic framework for prioritizing park projects based on critical factors such as resource availability, funding status, alignment with previous directives, equity considerations, public safety, and project progress. The plan aims to guide decision-making by identifying high-priority projects that must be addressed in FY 2026-27 and providing transparency around lower-priority projects that may require additional time or resources.
DISCUSSION
Each year Park staff use the park prioritization plan to guide work activities using both operating and capital funds. Staff completed the following projects in 2025:
• Planted 350 Trees at Linear Park
• Estuary Scoreboards
• Installation of Irrigation at Linear Park for Future Tree Planting
• Littlejohn Basketball Court
• Woodstock Retaining Wall
• Zone 1 Tree Maintenance (Alameda Point-8th St)
• Installation of 2 Drinking Fountains
• Bohol Ramp Access
• Change Old Wood Park Signs to Concrete
• Littlejohn Hillside Lawn Conversion
• Rittler Little League Field Renovation
• Osborne Airfield Picnic Area Renovations
• Hazardous Tree removals at Lincoln and Chocheyno
• Leydecker Library Landscaping Project
• Littlejohn Picnic Area Replacement
• Installation of Tire swing at Sweeney
• New parking lot lights and Installation
• Park Corp Yard Improvements
• New fencing and netting Washington Park Tennis Courts
• Landscape Conversion at Bohol Circle Immigrant Park
• Shoreline Park pathway paving Ferry Terminal
• Tillman Park Playground replaced
• Replaced roof and siding at Sweeney Park Railroad Bldg.
The City of Alameda FY 2026-27 Park Prioritization Plan is included as Exhibit 1 and is recommended by Recreation and Parks staff. Staff developed these recommendations based on factors listed, including:
• Resources: The amount of staff time and resources required to implement and manage the project. For example, putting a higher priority on projects that can be completed with minimal staff time but have a strong community impact.
• Funding: Whether the project is already funded, such as through grant funding or existing City funds.
• Previous priorities: These include projects that staff were directed to implement based on previous direction from either the Recreation and Parks Commission and/or City Council. This also includes direction from City Council approved plans such as the Climate Action and Resiliency Plan.
• Equity: Ensuring that projects are included that raise up communities and provide an equitable distribution of park amenities.
• Public Safety: These projects address public safety issues. In some cases, such as removing the old, rusted Franklin tennis court light poles, safety is the sole reason that the project is prioritized.
• In Progress: These are projects that are already being implemented, either in the planning or construction phase, and are not yet complete.
The Park Prioritization Plan lists the projects and their general status/schedule as well as an estimate of cost, if known. Projects were included that the Recreation and Parks Commission has discussed at different points in time, have been raised by community members but have not had any staff planning or coordination, or are staff priority projects for the factors listed. Projects that are not yet funded or in progress but were raised by the Commission or residents were included so the Commission could provide input and direction on whether staff should begin planning efforts for these projects.
The Park Prioritization Plan also includes a column showing the Staff Level of Effort on a scale of 1-5 (5=most significant effort and 1=least, minimum effort). This is to provide the Commission with context of whether any given project is relatively simple for staff to coordinate or much more time intensive. The Recreation and Parks Department has limited staff who coordinate projects, primarily the Assistant Recreation and Parks Director and Parks Manager.
Lastly, the Park Prioritization Plan includes staff recommendations. Projects identified as low priority are not recommended for 2026 unless higher-priority projects are completed and staff time becomes available. A low-priority designation does not mean that staff view the project as unimportant or lacking value. Rather, it reflects limited staff capacity to initiate or complete these projects alongside higher-priority work. High-priority projects are those that staff recommend must be coordinated and managed in 2026 due to safety, equity, or funding considerations.
The Park Prioritization Plan includes future park projects and operations and maintenance activities. Future projects were identified by staff but have yet to be funded or are long-range projects to be funded in future years. The operations and maintenance activities are funded through the annual operation budget.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
The cost estimate for each project, if known, is listed in the Park Prioritization Plan as well as indication of whether the project is currently funded (in the Priority Factor list). The cost for staff time to manage projects is included in the FY 2026-27 operational budgets.
RECOMMENDATION
To approve the City of Alameda Recreation and Parks Department Park Prioritization Plan for FY 2026-27.
Respectfully submitted,
Justin Long, Recreation and Parks Director
Exhibits:
1. City of Alameda Park Prioritization Plan FY 2026-27