Tellefson Park improvement funding among PRCS Commission requests

The Parks and Recreation and Community Services (PRCS) Commission officially closed the door on preparing its annual budget requests for the 25-26 Fiscal Year at its meeting Tuesday night. While the letter submitted to the Culver City city council was submitted with a March 29 date, a motion to receive and file the motion related to the letter was made on Tuesday, placing it in the historical record and removing it from future consideration.

These requests came less than five weeks after Culver City's Citywide Parks Plan — a comprehensive look at the potential long-term revitalization of Culver City's parks — was finalized and approved by the council in late February. One of the primary funding requests included in the letter is required to begin the Plan's implementation.

The Parks, Recreation, and Community Services Department is responsible for the maintenance of parks around the city and The Plunge, the city's municipal pool. The Commission is asking for roughly $1.4 million to improve Tellefson Park, which has been selected as an ideal starting point for implementing the Parks Plan for several reasons, one of which is its location.

"Tellefson Park meets the criteria laid out in the decision framework in the Parks Master Plan," the PRCS letter to the city council reads. "It is in an area with historically lower investment, in proximity to an Equity Focus Neighborhood, increases services in parks with high pressure, and helps achieve the Parks Master Plan Vision, Mission, and Goals."

Renovations to the park that the Commission is recommending be funded are as follows:

• Two pickleball/paddle tennis courts with spectator seating (Courts: $686,400, Seating: $124,500)
• New picnic groves ($76,960)
• Sand Volleyball court ($52,800)  
• New exercise equipment ($38,000)
• Upgrade restrooms ($190,450)
• Implementing extended sidewalk and accessible walking paths throughout (Sidewalks: $65,280, Walking Paths: $120,400)
• Thinning out tree canopy, removing unhealthy trees, and planting new trees in line with recommendations to replace trees with native species ($14,000)

The PRCS commission also recommends these park improvements because they are easy to implement. According to the letter, the renovations are relatively small and would not require major construction.

Additionally, the PRCS requested additional Management Analyst and Maintenance Worker positions and money to bolster the pay and benefits of part-time staff members, referring to an observation in the Parks Plan that departmental staffing is inadequate.

With a lifeguard shortage nationwide, money to attract and retain workers at The Plunge was a particular concern. However, there was an overall need for additional funding, leading to the $304,650 ongoing cost that the Commission included in the letter.

"PRCS must compete with neighboring jurisdictions that offer higher salaries and benefits for part-time staff," the letter reads. "Without raising our salary and benefits, we will continue to be at a disadvantage to these other jurisdictions, and this will harm our ability to offer pool time, camps, and other much-needed programming.

A final funding request focuses on ongoing expenditures for programs and services the PRCS Department already provides to the city. It includes a $21,471 funding request for in-house Youth Sports Programs staffing, along with $7,029 for supplies, $75,000 to increase playground equipment maintenance, and $700,000 to implement programs to ensure compliance with California's Model Water Efficient Landscape Ordinance (MWELO).

The city hired a consultant for $85,000 to provide recommendations to follow the Ordinance, which went into effect on January 2. It establishes minimum standards related to outdoor water use for new construction projects with landscape areas of 500 square feet or more and rehabilitated landscapes of 2,500 square feet or more that require a permit, plan check, or design review.

Cities and counties must report to California's Department of Water Resources on their efforts to comply as part of the MWELO's enforcement.

Departmental budget meetings will be held on May 19 and 20. During these meetings, the city council will consider funding requests from the city's departments.