Title
Review and Recommend Woodstock Park Playground Design
Body
To: Honorable Chair and Members of the Recreation and Park Commission
From: Amy Wooldridge, Recreation and Parks Director
Re: Review and Recommend Woodstock Park Playground Design
BACKGROUND
The site for Woodstock Park was acquired from the original land owner’s estate in the Spring of 1941 by the US Housing Authority. The parcel became home to the Atlantic Trailer Park. The trailer park provided utility hook-ups to 200 mobile homes for civilian defense workers during World War II. After the war Atlantic Trailer Park gradually closed. The North end of the property was acquired by the City in 1950 to serve as a playground for Woodstock School. The West End gained more residents during the war than any other section of Alameda provoking demands for parks and recreation programs. The West Alameda Association, along with support of the Recreation Commission, circulated petitions in 1954 asking for a public park on the trailer park property. In June 1955 the US housing Authority accepted the city’s below market bid of $45,000. The property comprised 3.86 acres. A small donation of land by Woodstock Homes increased the site to 3.96 acres. The park opened in 1957 without ceremony. Although $100,000 had been expended for land and improvements the park was far from complete. Woodstock Park was brought to completion in the late 1960’s and early 1970’s with the Recreation Center formally dedicated on June 15, 1968. The final phase of picnic, play areas, and the softball field lights were finished in 1973.
The Alameda Recreation and Park Department has an Annual Playground Replacement Program in which Longfellow Park playground was replaced in 2015 and Godfrey Park playground was replaced in 2016. This project replaces one park playground each year with the oldest playgrounds, some of which are over 20 years old, to be replaced first. The design for each playground is unique with community input. The playground safety surfaces are changed from the existing wood fiber to poured-in-place rubber surfacing whenever possible. This program brings Alameda playgrounds up to current ADA and safety requirements in addition to decrease annual maintenance costs. A different theme will be incorporated into each of our playgrounds.
DISCUSSION
The Alameda Recreation and Park Department (ARPD) solicited designs from three well-established playground companies: GameTime, NSP3, and Ross Recreation. Each company generated a design for the existing main play area with an Aquatic theme as well as a separate play structure designed for 2-5 year olds to be constructed near the Recreation building. All three designs were within the budget of $260,000.
Woodstock Park is a heavily utilized park with three charter schools that use the park as their only playground for recess and lunch as well as the fields for their Physical Education classes. These include Alameda Community Learning Center (ACLC), NEA Community Learning Center (NEA), and the Academy of Alameda (AoA). In addition, the Alameda Boys and Girls Club is situated at this park and uses the playground, as well as ARPD Tiny Tot programs that occur daily throughout the school year and summer. Combined, these create a demand on the playgrounds of several hundred children daily.
There are currently two playground areas at Woodstock Park. One is located closest to ACLC/NEA and lies across the property line between the Alameda Unified School District (AUSD) and the City. The second playground area is nearby on City property and is greatly underutilized with a significant amount of space and very little playground components. ARPD staff determined that with the high usage, it was becoming inefficient, both financially and for park maintenance staff time to manage both playgrounds. ARPD plans to better utilize the playground area that is on City property (see Exhibit A for location and playground design layout) and demolish the old playground near the schools that is on both school and City properties. Staff discussed this with AUSD management, who agreed to abandon the playground that is on both properties. There will be further discussion by AUSD and the City on the future of that area. In the meantime, the playground will be demolished and the area filled with wood mulch for safety. A smaller playground for 2 - 5 year olds will be built near the Woodstock Recreation Center to better serve the Tiny Tot programs. Since there are three elementary schools using the main playground area, a separate playground will provide a safer and more appropriate play structure for these small children.
The playground equipment and related safety surface is considered an equipment purchase eligible for procurement and installation through California Multiple Award Schedules (CMAS) and is considered a product that has already been bid by the State. CMAS has ability to offer products and services at prices which have been assessed to be fair, reasonable and competitive. CMAS is a state purchasing agency whose cooperative purchasing contracts have been competitively solicited so that government agencies can utilize their contracts meeting all state, local and federal purchasing requirements, including prevailing wage rates. All three bidding companies were pre-approved with pre-negotiated pricing with CMAS.
There was a significant community input process for this playground design. ARPD staff met with Alameda Boys and Girls Club participants to discuss the aquatic theme and their interests in playground components. These ideas were included in the initial designs that were presented at a community meeting on December 1st, 2016. Notices were sent to residents that live within 300 feet of the park, as well as posted at the park and sent to the schools and Boys and Girls Club. Over 30 adults and children attended the meeting, including neighborhood residents, Tiny Tot program parents, and Boys and Girls Club participants.
All three designs were displayed and explained. The public was allowed to mark their overall favorite design proposal, their favorite elements, and leave specific comments on each design. It was clear from the public feedback that the GameTime design was preferred. ARPD staff then incorporated additional information from the meeting and made appropriate adjustments to the design based on staff feedback, budget constraints and maintenance requirements.
Two organizations have generously donated funding that made this playground project possible. The Alameda Friends of the Parks Foundation is an annual supporter of the playground replacement program and is donating $20,000. The Alameda Rotary Club is donating $30,000 through a memorial grant program. ARPD is greatly appreciative of both community organizations.
The playground at Woodstock Park is scheduled to be completed by June 2017 before the Alameda Recreation and Park Department’s summer programs begin.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
The Woodstock Playground Renovation Project budget is $260,000. Funds are included in the Capital Improvement Project Budget (91621) for FY 15-17 with the following revenue allocation:
Development Impact Fees 150,000
Recreation Fund 60,000
Rotary grant 30,000
Friends of the Parks donation 20,000
Total Budget 260,000
RECOMMENDATION
Review and recommend Woodstock Park playground design to City Council.
Respectfully submitted,
Amy Wooldridge, Recreation and Parks Director
Exhibits:
1. Woodstock Park playground designs