City parks staff provided a multi-item update to the Parks and Recreation Commission covering completed projects, staffing, programming and a persistent low-water problem at Terry Trueblood Recreation Area (TTRA).

Julie (parks staff) said the Mercer Pool roof project required the pool to close for about a month; she reported Mercer Pool reopened and the department shifted swim practices and extended hours at alternate facilities while repairs were underway. Brad (parks staff) confirmed Mercer Pool reopened with regular hours after the roof work was finished. Julie said City Park Pool had also faced construction-related pressures earlier in the season and that staff worked to maintain access across facilities.

Julie reported several parks projects are complete or nearly complete: College Green Park, Calder Park trail, Brooklyn Park playground and pathways, and Adelaide Joy Rogers Park trails (playground installation in progress). She said a smaller playground formerly near City Park Pool was relocated and reopened near the City Park baseball fields. The department is finishing bid documents for a roller park at TARA Mill after federal funds were released and is finalizing design details for shelter and restroom projects at City Park.

On staffing and programming, Julie introduced Megan Hill as the new program supervisor for arts, STEAM, summer camps and nature education; Hill started Aug. 11 and previously worked in the city’s climate and sustainability office and with Green Iowa AmeriCorps. Julie said the third annual Get Outside festival is scheduled for Sun., Sept. 28 (10 a.m.–2 p.m.) and the Indigenous Peoples Day event will be held Sun., Oct. 12 (2–5:30 p.m.).

Brad reported that Finn and Feather announced plans to vacate the TTRA boat rental facility this fall and to sell their equipment. Parks staff said they inspected the site and plan to convert the rental building into an enclosed shelter available for public rental and programming (staff described adding a glass overhead door and using the space for nature education and smaller group rentals). Julie said the shelter proposal will move forward if funding is approved; staff intend to follow the city’s capital-improvement process and draw from the unfunded projects list if possible. She said a reservation system similar to current city systems would be used for rentals.

On an ongoing issue, Julie said the lake at Terry Trueblood no longer supports paddle boarding and canoe rentals because water levels at the lake have not returned even though river levels have improved. Staff described the problem as complex, possibly related to changes in local stormwater flows after east-side development, and said restoring historic water levels would require a multi-million-dollar intervention; they said no economical fix is currently available and that the site will function more as a wetland and natural area unless an alternative solution is found.

Commissioners raised tree preservation concerns at the City Park Pool construction site. Julie said the contractor has fenced trees at their drip lines and the city’s arborists and outside experts have evaluated tree health; she emphasized that preserving mature oaks is a priority but said some aging trees may decline following construction.

Staff also addressed operational questions: Mercer athletic field changes are managed by the school district; the roller-park bid documents will go out soon after federal funds were released; Ashton House basement storage may be available for adaptive bikes in coordination with Project Green; and the department will examine better public notices for changing pool hours on exterior doors and web pages.

Ending: staff asked commissioners to direct additional questions through the usual channels and said they will return with scheduling and funding details as project bids and budgets proceed.