Los Alamos Parks and Recreation Board Meeting - July 9, 2026
Los Alamos Parks and Recreation Board Meeting - July 9, 2026
The Los Alamos Parks and Recreation Board met on Thursday, July 9, 2026, at 5:30 PM at 1000 Central Avenue. The meeting included approval of previous minutes, a working group process discussion, a vote on the Grand Canyon Playground relocation, a presentation on the LA Mesa Trail project, and a series of staff and council updates.
Consent Calendar
- Approval of Minutes (June 11, 2026): Moved and seconded; approved unanimously with Vice Chair Jerry Cowan abstaining due to absence at the prior meeting.
Public Comments & Testimony
- No public comments were offered for items not on the agenda.
Discussion Items
- Working Group Discussion (Brian Watkins): The board discussed establishing a formal process for working group assignments using a standard request form adapted from the Art in Public Places Board. Members expressed general support for capturing scope, deliverables, and timelines. The form will be piloted over the next month to allow working groups to propose tasks at the next meeting.
- Grand Canyon Playground Discussion (Cory Styron, Parks and Recreation staff): Styron presented a proposal to relocate the existing Grand Canyon Playground from a hidden location off Shirleen Street to a more visible and accessible site along Sherwood Drive. The new site would be rezoned from open space to parkland (approx. 2 acres) and include ADA-accessible design, 15 or fewer parking spaces, and improved access to the Red Dot Trail system. Public input showed majority support (35 of 40 comments favored the move), with some concerns about proximity to other playgrounds (Pinon School and Rocket Park) and the elimination of open space. The board discussed design elements (natural materials, thematic playgrounds) and confirmed that final designs will return for future approval. A motion to approve and support the relocation and rezoning passed 4–3 (Member Bowman, Knepper, Marsden, Chair Watkins in favor; Member Stevens, AlderseBaes, Vice Chair Cowan opposed).
- BHI Presentation on LA Mesa Project (Eric Peterson, County; Sierra and Lithu and Tyler Smith, BHI): BHI presented construction documents for rehabilitating the Mesa Trail to ADA standards. Key improvements: widening a tight switchback, formalizing a tie-in connection to the Los Alamos Assisted Living facility, replacing wooden guardrails with saddle pipe rails, maintaining existing gym equipment, and preserving unpaved trail connections. Surfacing will remain asphalt due to accessibility, maintenance, and snow-removal needs. Community feedback was generally positive; two listening sessions were held (March and June). Construction is anticipated in winter 2026/spring 2027, with completion in summer 2027. No vote was taken.
Board/Staff Communications
- Chairman's Report (Brian Watkins): Thanked staff for multiple recent public listening sessions and community engagement efforts.
- Staff Report (presented by Wendy Parker and Corey Styron): Updates included: irrigation pump failure at Ashley Pond Park (temporary watering with fire hoses, repair and backup system underway), Brewer Arena progress (grandstand footers poured, restrooms 50% complete, temporary bleachers for rodeo in August), athletic court phase two public meeting on August 6, Rose Garden fence project completed, sports field renovation (Spero field still awaiting substantial completion due to seams, irrigation issues; Bun Ryan field sod installed, limited play expected for fall), North Mesa Picnic Master Plan presentation anticipated in September, and median landscaping redesign (Canyon Road and Diamond) to be brought forward in August.
- Work Group Assignments and Updates (Jerry Cowan): No new formal items; the bike park working group confirmed that letters of endorsement for a grant have been submitted to staff and were before County Council for recommendation on July 7.
- Council Communications (Councilor Cull): Reported on recent County Council actions, including approval of a $35 million bond for Fire Station 4, Betty E. Hart, Manhattan Project Dorm, North Mesa Bike Park, Health Action Center (social services hub), and Athletic Court renovations; charter changes regarding board political affiliation rules to go to ballot in November; approval of automated speed cameras; purchase agreement for LA School of Gymnastics (future use to be determined); and a public information session on expanded recycling services scheduled for July 16.
Key Outcomes
- Approved minutes of June 11, 2026, with Vice Chair Cowan abstaining.
- Passed motion (4–3) to approve and support relocation and rezoning of Grand Canyon Playground to new Sherwood Drive site.
- Working group request form will be piloted for one month.
- Staff will continue to negotiate substantial completion of Spero field before acceptance.
- Median redesign plans to be presented in August.
- Next regular meeting scheduled for August 13, 2026; agenda setting in two weeks.
Meeting Transcript
All right, good afternoon, everybody. Let's get started. We'll call this meeting to order. First item on the agenda, public comment for any topics not currently on the agenda. Okay. We'll go to the next uh topic, which is business. So uh first item uh approval of minutes from the July June 11th, 2026 meeting. Uh any discussion on those minutes before uh we move forward. Okay, someone would like to make a motion to approve those minutes. I move that the board approve the attached meeting minutes from the June 11th, 2026 meeting as presented. Anybody second? I second. Right. Uh we'll vote. Uh I don't know that we need to do a call for this one. All in favor. I I think Jerry, you're abstaining for you because you weren't here. Okay. Right. And David's an eye. Okay. Thank you. Jasmine. Oh, yeah. I thank you. Uh next item is working group discussion. This is one of the topics that we had uh talked about at the last week for the last session, um, that we would just kind of make this a standing session on work group uh discussion assignments, anything appropriately anything appropriate to either discuss um or to make assignments. Does anybody have any um topics they'd like to bring up? Um items. Okay, we did uh have what was good. I want to make sure we don't have this later on. Um I don't think so. So we'll talk so um Wendy passed out the Parkson Rec board this draft for uh request form. Um we uh draft circulated for this. I think everybody has a copy. Um obviously take time, but I guess you know, for just general discussion, uh we had uh talked at the last meeting about a little more of a formal process for either uh group working groups uh requesting or volunteering or kind of soliciting an endorsement to do uh new items or new topics or uh for the board to discuss and assign and then kind of capture that formally. Um in previous discussions, uh these uh working groups should have kind of clear relatively clearly defined tasks uh or assignments, and uh those should include uh some deliverables that are relatively measurable and uh a timeline for those. Um hope is that this would uh maybe fit that. I mean, I think this is a uh kind of a an adaptation of what art in public places is using. Is that accurate? Yes. Okay, thanks. Um discussion of the members on this. You know, are we are are we for um kind of capturing these items more formally uh or uh preferred format that may be different? Um I think it's a good idea to get a um clearly defined um subject of work for each of the working groups, and I think this is a good way to maybe approach doing that in the next month. We can try and fill these out, come back in a month and discuss them at that point. Maybe you can then have a clear idea of exactly what you want to task each of the working groups with. So yeah, and I think that is kind of the idea, just so it's both clear what the assignment is and and then it's it's bounded and well understood and easy to discuss and again for transparency for the public as well. Sure. Yeah.
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