Lafayette discusses future park projects at virtual townhall

City of Lafayette staff shared the parks master play survey results and the next steps for three separate parks Oct. 30. in

City Administrator Branden Dross said results from the 2020 census showed that the city’s population has grown and so have the demographic of residents 19 and under, now at 24.5%. He said this age group and the increase of young families indicates a bigger need for more parks.

The park survey went out on Aug. 6 and closed on Oct. 7.

Dross said the next step is figuring out community priorities for updating Terry, Commons and Veterans Parks. and then present that data to city council in order to updated the parks master plan.

Dross said the Oct. 30 virtual townhall was organized because of the need for community input on parks and to build community support for city parks.

No decisions were made at the meeting.

“We are taking all the community input from the survey and bring it down to a micro level, prioritize park desires and navigate funding options,” he told the News-Register.

City council told city staff to look at Commons, Terry and Veterans park, which they felt need the most attention after resident input and conversations.

A majority of survey respondents marked that parks are important and very important.

Commons Park, located next to the community center, has a footprint for a softball field.

Survey takers highly supported the park use to favor an event/entertainment focus, water feature or sports facility.

Dross said although Commons is already staged as a softball field, additional upkeep including add lights and permit for facilities would be needed to continue that use. He added other sport facilities could be added, depending on the court footprints.

City Planner Jim Jack noted that Commons may be large compared to other Lafayette parks, but it is only 1.1 acres which limits the park’s recreational opportunities.

There were suggestions for fitness and agility structures, benches, more vegetation and an RC car track, Dross said. He said just because these suggestions weren’t a major talking point with survey takers, doesn’t mean they won’t be options later on, especially when it comes to cost effectiveness in the grand scheme of park planning.

Dross said Terry Park entered the conversation because there was always a community assumption that it was a drivable park.

Terry Park is a 5.5 acre park located at the south end of the City on the north bank of the Yamhill River.

The top survey suggestion was a family picnic area, followed by Yamhill River recreation space and walking trail with vehicle access. All the survey answers were closely together.

“In the summertime we had some issues with overnight RV parking and people accessing the park after hours,” he said. A fence was added as a temporary mechanism with the goal of safety in mind and to follow city code of parks being closed to public access at night.

There is a county-wide jurisdiction collaboration for Yamhill River Access.

Bri Turden with the National Park Service shared information on the River Trails Conservation Assistance Program and Yamhill river project to connect communities back to the river across the county.

At this time, the program is working with cities and figuring out their goals for river access.

There will be public outreach for this at a later date.

Veteran Park is 0.64 acre undeveloped future park site is located at the southwest corner of North Bridge Street and east of 12th Street. There was overwhelming support for a dog park and landscaped with a walking trail from the survey.

Survey takers put under “other suggestion” disability multi use or ADA compliance park, covered area and more vegetation.

Dross noted that a dog park is not as simple of a project as people may believe, as separate sections dedicated to small and large breeds are required, the city must provide a multi-teared water facility, which including additional utility access and insurance would be required.

However, the dog park was voted as the first choice by survey takers.

Funding options were also discussed, with the majority of survey takers advocating the general fund should pay for the proposed projects, as well as state and federal funded grants. There was some support for a bond measure and monthly fee added to utility bill.

“I want to stress these are just options to consider,” Dross said, adding none of these funding suggestions will be implemented at this time.

“(Lafayette) always wants to work within our means and we will work with county, state and federal partners in achieving financial responsibility of these projects,” he said.

An example of this was in 2017 when the city added ADA compliant restroom improvements at Perkins Park. The $100,000 project was paid for by $75,000 in grants. Dross described other grant funding projects in the region, noting the scope of just building a bathroom can cost $100,000, resurfacing a tennis court costs $1,000,000.

He said grants help offset costs, though what might seem like a small project in reality comes with a large price tag.

Park projects can be funded by the general fund, but that will mostly cover payroll and current upkeep, not improvements. The city can use System Development Charges, which are when new construction or new subdivision pays for a capacity fee to buy into the system. Dross said the city has about $700,000 in SDC that is undedicated and can be used for park improvement, infrastructure or acquiring park land. However, that funding is not guaranteed year over year unless there is more construction.

Dross said there is little funding for parks in the city’s budget, but it can be increased through the budget committee and city council, which might require taking money out of reserves or moving funds from other departments.

He urged Lafayette residents to get involved in the parks planning process.

“If you are passionate about our parks system it is time to engage. Parks are the life blood of our city. Right now we are lacking recreation and need guidance,” Dross said.

“We have so many options with little resources and want to be good stewards of funds,” he said.

Only 14 people attended the virtual town hall, including city staff and presenters.

In regard to low attendance at the meeting, Dross said he wasn’t expecting the over 400 survey takers to attend the virtual meeting, but he is committed in having the generational planning document of the parks master plan to have plenty of community input. This will be the first of many meetings.

Lafayette Recorder Kenedee Richards told the News-Register that city staff is working on ways to better enhance resident participation.

A recording of the town hall is available on the city’s YouTube Channel, youtube.com/watch?v=8g20Mcwe5WQ.

City receives transportation plan grant

Lafayette received a grant from Oregon’s Transportation and Growth Management (TGM) for the city’s Transportation System Plan Update.

Branden Dross, City Administrator said the receiving the grant is a significant milestone for Lafayette.

“Traffic congestion remains a pressing concern,” he said. “The State of Oregon grant will enable us to develop a comprehensive traffic management plan. This plan will help us address current traffic challenges and create a more livable city. We hope to use this plan to secure future funding and implement effective traffic solutions.”

Lafayette’s transportation system plan was last updated in 2007, and it is time for another update consider the cities growth the past two decades. The plan will be a guiding document for future transportation system improvements.

Lafayette will provide input for local issues, while ODOT and an engineer will provide their opinion on the infrastructure and recommend other improvements.

Dross said he estimates updating the plan will cost $200,000, which the grant will pay for. He said there will be opportunities for public engagement as the process continues.