Agenda - Parks and Recreation Commission - 05/11/2023

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, neighbors, 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 may not be an exaggeration to state that playgrounds metaphorically serve as the backbone of neighborhoods within the community, and as such are a valuable resource that must be properly maintained. Playground equipment and associated improvements unfortunately do not last forever, and so 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 around. SECTION 2. GENERAL POLICY STATEMENT. The city of Ramsey has seventeen playgrounds that will need to be replaced 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 can receive a maximum score of 90 points, and the higher a score a playground receives, the greater the need 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 that screening factor: Home Density Surrounding Playground-Yes/No to pass go: Housing density may be considered a proxy for the regular frequency of usage of a particular playground. Because community parks are likely to be used significantly by outside visitors in addition to the surrounding neighborhood, home density does not factor into the scoring for community parks. Accordingly, playgrounds in community parks are automatically recommended for replacement scoring. Playgrounds in neighborhood parks however, must meet a threshold of 35 homes within 1,500' feet of walking distance to the park to be recommended for replacement consideration. In cases where a playground might be removed, alternative actions (described below) are to be considered. In the table below, playgrounds meeting this threshold are scored "Y" for those that have appropriate densities, and those not meeting the threshold are scored "N." Home density is determined based on how many homes (or townhome/apartment units) are within the 1,500 feet walking distance of a park's boundary along streets, sidewalks and trails. 3