Title
Parks and Recreation Department Preliminary Capital Improvement Program Budget Fiscal Years 2024-29
Description
This report provides the Transportation, Infrastructure and Planning Subcommittee with information regarding the Parks and Recreation Department’s Capital Improvement Program (CIP) budget for Fiscal Years (FY) 2024-29.
THIS ITEM IS FOR INFORMATION ONLY.
Report
Summary
The Phoenix parks system is comprised of 186 flatland parks, including pocket, neighborhood, community and regional parks; more than 200 miles of trails; approximately 500 buildings; 33 community centers; 29 pools; 12 dog parks; eight golf courses; almost 300 play structures; and hundreds of athletic fields and sports courts. At over 40,000 acres, the City has one of the largest amounts of municipally-managed park acreage in the country, per the 2023 City Park Facts Report compiled by the Center for City Park Excellence at the Trust for Public Land.
The Preliminary CIP submission for FY 2024-29 totals $340,041,985, which is comprised of $262,175,000 in voter-approved Phoenix Parks and Preserves Initiative (PPPI) funds; $6,855,300 Impact Fees; and $71M in 2023 General Obligation Bond Funds (Attachment A).
The FY 2024-29 CIP focuses on design and construction of new park facilities, redevelopment of existing park facilities and critical upgrades and replacement of aging or failing infrastructure, including life-safety issues. The comprehensive plan includes projects such as building new community parks, improving and replacing aging playgrounds; upgrade of irrigation systems; installation of LED lighting; repair of aging parking lots; renovation of park amenities including restrooms; and prioritizing Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliance throughout the City’s park system.
Projects are prioritized within the five-year planning window based primarily on park needs and priority criteria. This process includes a three-tiered rating system that takes into account the life span of amenities. The rating identifies amenities that are new, at half-life or ready for replacement. Ratings are updated annually. Further, when a need is identified at a park facility, a holistic look is used to evaluate if other needs can also be addressed at the same time. This approach results in cost effectiveness, efficiencies and reduces redundancy of services to the same site and minimizes impact to the community.
FY 2024-29 CIP highlights include the development of eight new parks, one new recreation center, two regional pools and repurposing five pools into splash pads; and improvements at more than 40 park sites throughout the City. Park sites include, but are not limited to, Cortez, Encanto, GR Herberger, Holiday, Laveen Village, Madison, Norton, Paradise Valley and Trailside Point parks. Other projects include the renovation of the South Mountain Activity Complex and funding for the acquisition of land into the existing preserve system. There are also improvements planned at North Mountain Park, the Phoenix Mountains Preserve, Sonoran Preserve, South Mountain Park and Preserve and Papago Park over the next five years.
Phoenix Park and Preserve Initiative (PPPI) funding will be used to upgrade park amenities such as trail heads, trails, irrigation, parking lots, signage, playgrounds, ramadas, lighting and restrooms at various Phoenix flatland parks and preserves. Various sport court and fields will receive upgrades to surfaces, fencing and lighting. A combination of PPPI and impact fees will renovate various neighborhood parks, add shade through tree plantings and repair aging infrastructure. Further, through voter-approved 2023 General Obligation Bonds, the Parks and Recreation Department is implementing 10 projects identified in the department’s FY2024-29 CIP.
Department
Responsible Department
This item is submitted by Deputy City Manager John Chan and the Parks and Recreation Department.