Agenda - Parks and Recreation Commission - 07/08/2021

Home

SECTION 1. INTRODUCTION. Playgrounds provide children with a safe and exciting connection to the outdoors during a time when electronic devices increasingly occupy their attention. They are associated with immense physical benefits upper- and lower -body strength, muscular and cardiovascular endurance, balance, agility, and hand -eye coordination; in the long -run, reduced risk for cardiovascular ailments (e.g. heart disease and stroke), obesity, type-2 diabetes, and certain cancers as well as boosts to self- confidence and improvements in social skills. Many of children's fondest memories are formed at parks. Playgrounds help build relationships between parents, grandparents, and children, and between children and their peers. Additionally, they provide a community gathering place for young parents and their children who may otherwise experience isolation. It is not an exaggeration to state that playgrounds may serve as the backbone of communities, and as such are a valuable resource that must be maintained. Playground sets unfortunately do not last forever, but this policy serves as a guide to replacing the city of Ramsey's playgrounds so that they remain a safe and enjoyable place for the community to gather. SECTION 2. GENERAL POLICY STATEMENT. The city of Ramsey has seventeen playgrounds that will need to be replace in the future. Due to fiscal and administrative constraints, as well as the varying ages and conditions of the city's playgrounds, the replacements are to be carried out over the span of more than a decade. As of the writing of this policy, six of the city's playgrounds have reached the end of their twenty-year useful lifespan and over the next decade, nine more will have reached that point. Consequently, the next capital improvement program (CIP), covering years 2022 through 2031, as well as subsequent CIPs will need to account for the city's playground replacement needs. This policy will guide the city in determining which playgrounds to replace and program into a given year of the CIP. SECTION 3. PLAYGROUND EVALUATION MATRIX. The evaluation matrix considers six factors (and an additional screening factor) when prioritizing playgrounds for replacement and the playgrounds are scored based on their adherence to those categories. A playground could receive a maximum score of 90 points, and the higher a score a playground receives, the greater the ranking for replacement. Four of the seven factors, accounting for 60% of the points, assess the playground itself, while the remaining two factors, accounting for 40% of the points, consider the context of the playground. The remaining factor, while not accounting for any points, is considered before any of the other six factors, because it serves to screen out playgrounds that are not recommended for replacement. The following is a description of the above screening factor: 1. Home Density in the Surrounding Neighborhood. Home density is a proxy for the usage of a particular playground. Because community parks are likely to be used significantly by those outside of the surrounding neighborhood, home density does not factor into the scoring for community parks. Instead, playgrounds in community parks are automatically recommended for replacement. Playgrounds in neighborhood parks must meet a threshold of 35 homes to be recommended for replacement. Otherwise, alternative actions (described below) are considered. In the table below, playgrounds meeting this threshold are scored "Y" and those not meeting the threshold are scored "N." Home density in this case is determined based on how many homes (or townhome units) are within 1500 feet of walking distance of a park boundary along streets and trails. 2