Title
Review and Comment on Playground Replacement Plan
Body
To: Honorable Chair and Members of the Recreation and Park Commission
From: Amy Wooldridge, Recreation and Parks Director
Re: Review and Comment on Playground Replacement Plan
BACKGROUND
In FY 2014-15, the City Council approved $250,000 for the Alameda Recreation and Parks Department (ARPD) Capital Improvement Project budget for an Annual Playground Replacement program. Since then City Council has approved this same amount of $250,000 each fiscal year. The following playgrounds have been built to date:
|
Park |
Year Completed |
Total Cost |
Notes |
|
Longfellow |
2015 |
145,000 |
|
|
Godfrey |
2016 |
270,000 |
Consolidated to one playground. |
|
Woodstock |
2019 |
495,691 |
Eliminated furthest playground and gave back to school district. Expanded existing. Added 2-5 components near recreation center. First built in 2017 and then rebuilt in 2019 after arson. Added poured in place in remaining area in FY 20/21 with CDBG grant funds. Total cost includes construction of the playground twice. Funding includes revenue from grant and community funding for the rebuild. |
|
Littlejohn |
2018 |
296,398 |
Inclusive playground. Includes grant funding |
|
Bayport |
2021 |
259,874 |
Funded from Bayport Assessment Dist. Fund 278. |
|
Lincoln |
2021 |
497,231 |
Funding includes grant and community funding. |
DISCUSSION
The order of playground replacement is based on factors including the age of the playground, ability to get replacement parts (or not), and equity for replacement across all areas of Alameda with a priority on replacement in areas serving lower income communities. Subsequently, the playgrounds already replaced are predominantly located on the west end of Alameda.
The following table lists the proposed order of upcoming playground replacements.
|
Construction Year |
Park |
Year Built |
Cost Estimate |
Notes |
|
2023 |
Tillman #1 (2-5) |
1980s |
125,000 |
Two playgrounds. This only replaces the one for 2-5 year olds, built in the 1980s. |
|
2024 |
Krusi |
1997 |
550,000 |
Need to identify additional funding. |
|
2025 |
Franklin |
unknown |
250,000 |
|
|
2026 |
Leydecker |
unknown |
300,000 |
|
|
2027 |
McKinley |
unknown |
300,000 |
Add 2-5 year old components for Tiny Tots program and community |
|
2028 |
Tillman #2 (5-12) |
2010 |
250,000 |
This was installed in 2010 but was a reused structure from AUSD. |
|
2029 |
Washington |
unknown |
600,000 |
|
|
2030 |
Marina Cove |
unknown |
250,000 |
Use funds from Marina Cove Assessment District |
Funding for playgrounds includes $250,000 annually from the General Fund plus funding from the Alameda Friends of the Parks Foundation for each playground. Some playgrounds have additional funding from grants and community fundraising.
The estimated construction costs do not include additional amenities such as shade structures or picnic tables, or fitness equipment replacement, although basic benches are included. The cost estimates also are based on safety surfacing of pre-engineered wood fiber, not rubberized surfacing, also known as PIP (poured in place). The benefits of PIP are that it is fully inclusive for people of all physical abilities and has a higher safety rating. However, the current annual funding from the General Fund does not support the significant cost of PIP. The cost difference for installation and maintenance, amortized across 20 years, is $1,500 per year for wood fiber and $18,250 per year for PIP. For example, the PIP installation cost for a playground size similar to Woodstock Park is $115,000 and wood fiber installation is $10,000. PIP installation for larger projects such as Krusi Park or Washington Park would cost well over $200,000. Options for PIP could include seeking additional grant and community funding, requesting additional funding from the General Fund, and/or identifying certain parks to include PIP and focus those playground designs as fully inclusive. Existing playgrounds with PIP surfacing include, Godfrey Park, Littlejohn Park, Longfellow Park, Woodstock Park, Bohol Circle Immigrant Park, Bayport and Whale Park, Marina Cove Park. Phase 2 of Estuary Park is funded and anticipated to be constructed in 2024 and will be a fully inclusive park with PIP surfacing.
Staff is seeking input and comments on the order of the playground replacement and planning for safety surfacing types.
.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
In the upcoming biennial budget, Fiscal Year 2023-25, staff will be requesting $250,000 per year from the General Fund for the Playground Replacement Project. Maintenance costs are already included in the regular, ongoing Parks Maintenance operations budgets.
RECOMMENDATION
Review and Comment on Playground Replacement Plan
Respectfully submitted,
Amy Wooldridge, Recreation and Parks Director