Minutes - Council Work Session - 08/25/2020

Home

Councilmember Kuzma stated that he has heard comments that the maintenance of the parks is subpar, and he supports the maintenance worker position. Councilmember Specht asked if there are parks that are not well utilized that could have lesser maintenance with focus on the more heavily used parks. Parks and Assistant Public Works Superintendent Riverblood stated that there are a few small neighborhood parks on the outside of the community and there was a lot of pushback in the past when maintenance of those parks was lessened. He stated that he could bring forward a list of parks where maintenance could be discontinued or old equipment could be removed, but there will be pushback from the community. Mayor LeTourneau stated that he receives comments from people that are not pleased when their neighbors do not mow their lawns and would caution against the City not following the same regulations it expects residents to follow. Councilmember Musgrove stated that in a year of COVID and challenges to the economy, she believes that this is an ask two to three years too late as the service matrix are not being met. She stated that perhaps the service matrix should be adjusted higher. Parks and Assistant Public Works Superintendent Riverblood stated that the projections had showed a maintenance person each year and agreed that this position would have been helpful earlier. He stated that in the first weeks of COVID, the parks and trails were used more heavily than ever before and are still being heavily used. He stated that there is a point where you cannot let mowing get too far behind. He stated that he would love to convert more of the parks space to natural landscaping which would create fewer landscaping needs. City Administrator Ulrich asked how many acres could perhaps be turned back to natural landscaping. Parks and Assistant Public Works Superintendent Riverblood estimated that perhaps 10 percent of the area could be converted to native landscaping. Councilmember Menth stated that he was the worker in the construction field and was shocked when he went into the construction office and found out that they sent the workers to the job late with the expectation that they would work harder. He stated that method only works for so long as people get annoyed and depressed with that method. He stated that he supports the new parks worker as this position is three years behind and additional parks continue to be added and maintenance needs to continue. Councilmember Riley stated that the parks are a face of the community and he is in favor of this position. He challenged staff to find more savings in the overall budget. Councilmember Specht stated that after receiving the additional information he would support the parks position if additional savings can be found elsewhere. City Council Work Session / August 25, 2020 Page 3 of 7