Parks, Recreation and Trees Advisory Commission Regular Meeting – August 19, 2026
Parks, Recreation and Trees Advisory Commission Regular Meeting – August 19, 2026
The Parks, Recreation and Trees Advisory Commission (PRTAC) held a regular meeting on August 19, 2026, at 6:00 PM in the Napa City Hall Council Chambers. The commission reviewed the FY2026/27 Parks and Recreation budget, considered a pilot off-leash dog area at Esther Deaver Park, and received updates on the Harvest Park project kickoff, summer programs, and the Napa Park and Recreation Foundation. Key actions included unanimous approval of the June meeting minutes and a unanimous recommendation to advance the off-leash dog area pilot to the City Council.
Presentations
- July Parks and Rec Month – Fuller Park Highlight Video: Staff showed two videos: a promotional piece from the playground fabricator and an artist video featuring Dan Wodarsick, the artist behind the Fuller Park Playable Art Project. The commission praised the community response, and videos are available for sharing on social media.
- Harvest Park Project Kickoff (City Council Summary): Director Breyana Brandt reported on the August 18, 2026 City Council meeting where the community engagement and design phase for Harvest Park was launched. The lead architect (Nolan Tam) and engagement firm (Contigo) presented. The target budget is $50–$75 million. Three town hall meetings start August 26 (one virtual, two in-person at the Harvest property). Council took no action but provided feedback. Commissioners noted strong community interest in a pool/splash pad and emphasized the project cannot be everything to everyone.
Administrative Reports
- FY2026/27 Parks and Recreation Budget: Director Brandt presented the department's operating and capital improvement budgets, totaling $11,993,430 (down from $13,081,345 in FY2025/26 due to expending park quadrant funds on Harvest). The City's total FY2027 budget is $396.1 million, with Measure G adding $23.05 million in revenue. Parks and recreation receives a portion of Measure G funds (alongside streets and public safety). Key highlights: $430,000 annual cost to operate Harvest, $250,000 for community landscaping, $240,000 for recreation division restoration, $150,000 baseline for the July 4th drone show, and new staffing positions. Capital projects funded include park shade structures, playground phase 3 (Monarch, Esther Deaver, Solomon Park), Los Flores Community Center renovations ($1.8M, facing unforeseen issues), $285,000 for open space planning, pathway improvements, restroom designs, and a splash pad feasibility study (report due in October).
- Esther Deaver Park Off-Leash Dog Area Pilot Program: Parks and Urban Forestry Manager Jeff Gittings proposed a one-year pilot program to designate a ~75' x 250' temporary off-leash area on the eastern portion of Esther Deaver Park, enclosed with temporary fencing ($5,000 from existing budget). Currently, Napa has three off-leash areas. The pilot would operate during park hours (sunrise to sunset). Staff will monitor usage and bring a recommendation to the commission and council after one year to extend, modify, or end the program. Commissioners discussed ground conditions (foxtails, bedrock), parking, lack of water within the enclosure, and the need for neighbor notification. A motion to recommend the pilot to City Council passed unanimously.
Comments by Commissioners and Staff
- Napa Park and Recreation Foundation Update (Commissioner Joe Streng): The Foundation raised $8,000 selling wine and beer at the Oxbow July 4th celebration, with proceeds going to youth scholarships. For the upcoming GiveGuide campaign, the Foundation will target funding for an adult changing table at Fuller Park (estimated $18,000), aiming for a more tangible fundraising approach.
- Park Maintenance and Recreation Division Updates: Director Brandt reported summer camp statistics: 789 registered campers at Camp Napa (Fuller Park), 358 unique, with a peak of 126 kids in one week; enrichment camps (48), youth sports camps (157), preschool minicamps (61); swim lessons at Napa Valley College served 564 kids across 3,300 lessons. Jeff Gittings noted successful July 4th operations and announced removal of a large, unstable oak tree in front of the Pelusi building along Streblo Drive at Kennedy Park.
Key Outcomes
- Approval of Minutes: The commission voted unanimously to approve the regular meeting minutes of June 17, 2026.
- Recommendation for Off-Leash Dog Area Pilot: The commission voted unanimously to recommend the Esther Deaver Park off-leash dog area pilot program to the City Council. The pilot will run for one year from opening; if not terminated by staff or council, it would become permanent.
- Next Meeting: The regularly scheduled September 16, 2026 meeting is cancelled. A special joint meeting of PRTAC and the Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Commission (BPAC) will be held on September 23, 2026 at 5:30 PM.
Meeting Transcript
August 19th, 2026, regular meeting for the Parks Recreation and Tree Advisory Commission. Can I please have roll call? Bordona. Here. Stoltz. Here. Richard. Here. Strain. Here. Wallace. Cats O'Neill's absent. Grafuis. Grapheus here. And binum. Here. Next up is agenda review and supplemental reports. I don't believe we have any supplemental reports, but uh item three is going to be public comment. Item four is approval of minutes. Item five, we have two presentations. Uh one is July Parks and Rec month, Fuller Park Highlight video. Item five B is a summary of August 18th, 2026 City Council meeting regarded Harvest Park Project Kickoff. We then have item six A. Um, this is fiscal year 2627. Parks and rec services department operating and capital improvement programs budget. That'll be presented by Director Brandt. Uh item six B is the Esther Deaver Park off Leach Dog Area, and that'll be presented by Jeff Giddings, and then item seven, we'll have comments by commissioners and staff. Um and then we will adjourn. Um with that, I'll open it up to public comment. Um seeing none, um, we'll move on to approval minutes. They'll move the minutes. I second. All in favor say aye. Aye. Aye. Passes unanimously. Um, item five A. July is Parks and Rec month. Fuller Park Highlight Video. Roll it. Here we are, uh August 19th. I know July seems so far ago. But we did celebrate uh July is Parks Rec month, and since we didn't have a regular commission meeting in July, I had two quick items that I thought we would highlight for you real quick. Uh we have two videos regarding Fuller Park. One was done by Spec, who was the fabricator of the playground. And then we just wrapped up our artist videos, and that's something our public art team does for every um installation or significant installation. We do an artist video kind of explaining the background and the history of that project. So we have two quick videos to show you. Do I have to do it? Is there volume?
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