Clearlake >> Looking to make improvements to Austin Park, the Clearlake City Council is slated at tonight’s meeting to approve hiring a consultant to determine the best options.
Among items on the council’s consent agenda is authorizing city manager Greg Folsom to enter into a contract with Milton Design Group to prepare a master plan for the park on Lakeshore Drive.
“Austin Park’s plan will address parking, relocating the playground and preserving athletic field space,” Folsom said.
Another one of the areas that may potentially be upgraded is the sprinkler system.
“Sprinklers are old and need to be replaced, but we want to make sure that we are putting in sprinklers where they need to be,” Folsom said.
There’s also the matter of parking. The city manager said there’s a lot of it, and there might be better uses for the land but again, it won’t be until the consultant completes the work that city staff will know what strategy needs to be taken.
The plan will address safety concerns, too. Austin Park is split up by Lakeshore Drive with the playground on the lakefront side and courts on the other.
“It seems to me that with all the activities on the north side with softball games, there might be kids that cross the street a lot,” Folsom said.
One possibility is to relocate the playground across the street.
“If we can make it safer that’s what we want to do,” he said.
Clearlake resident Bonnie Jordan also raised concerns about children crossing the street. The mother was out enjoying Wednesday’s sunny weather with her husband and children and said she’s had issues with her child running into the street. Her suggestion was to add better fencing to prevent that from happening. She said the chains currently lining the that side of the park aren’t enough.
Antonio Landeta who was out walking his dogs that afternoon would like to see more trees. He said there are some areas that look dry and sad.
The park planning is estimated to take about six or seven months, during which time the consultant will do a base map, do surveys, identify existing facilities and hold community meetings.
“We are looking forward to having a lot of citizen participation and find out what they want for this park,” Folsom said.
The process will be similar to what the city went through regarding plans to update the Highlands Park Master Plan, he said.
A consultant came in and spoke with city staff and various individuals, as well as held public meetings to receive input from the community and what they wanted to see done at the park. Once surveys were completed, the consultant created a draft plan with recommended changes which was then presented to the city council and planning commission. Folsom said the final draft will likely go to the council for approval next month.
Funding for the Austin Park Master Plan comes from redevelopment bonds. The project is budgeted not to exceed $34,744.
“We don’t have a lot of money to throw away, so we want to make sure we’re getting the most bang for our buck,” Folsom said.
The Clearlake City Council will meet tonight at 6 p.m. at city hall, located at 4050 Olympic Drive.
