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 2025-26.
From: Justin Long, Recreation and Parks Director
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The City of Alameda FY 2025-26 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 2025-26 and providing transparency around lower-priority projects that may require additional time or resources.
DISCUSSION
The City of Alameda FY 2025-26 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 was 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 Director and Parks Manager. In January 2023, a newly hired person will start the new Recreation Services Manager position and in time, this person will also be assisting with certain park projects.
Lastly, the Park Prioritization Plan includes the staff recommendation. Low means staff does not recommend the project for 2025 unless higher prioritized projects are completed, and time is available. The projects listed as low priority do not, in any way, mean that staff does not believe it is a valuable and important project. It means that there is not staff bandwidth and time available to start or complete the low priority projects in conjunction with all of the other higher priority projects. High priority projects are ones that staff recommends absolutely must be coordinated and managed in 2025 whether for safety, equity or funding reasons.
Building or transportation projects fully managed by the Public Works Department are included separately. These are listed to provide awareness of what projects Public Works is working on and the understanding that while Recreation and Parks Department staff is not directly managing these projects, we are the “users” and staff time is put toward making decisions and coordinating with Public Works staff.
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 fund (in the Priority Factor list). The cost for staff time to manage projects is included in the FY 2025-26 operational budgets.
RECOMMENDATION
To approve the City of Alameda Recreation and Parks Department Park Prioritization Plan for FY 2025-26.
Respectfully submitted,
Justin Long, Recreation and Parks Director
Exhibits:
1. City of Alameda Park Prioritization Plan FY 2025-26