OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Puyallup Parks & Recreation Board Meeting - September 8, 2025

City Council & Commissions — Monday, September 8, 2025
BodyPuyallup, Washington
SessionCity Council & Commissions
DateMonday, September 8, 2025
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 1:05:09

Transcript — Verbatim
0:13

Okay.

0:13

Called to order the uh September 9th meeting of uh the parks and rec uh board meeting.

0:22

Eric, we have a roll call, please.

0:26

Board member McKenna.

0:29

Board member Sprackland.

0:30

Present.

0:31

Board member Reagan.

0:33

Present.

0:34

Board member Cavizel.

0:35

Present.

0:36

Vice Chair Martin.

0:38

Present.

0:38

Chair Whiter.

0:39

Present.

0:40

We have a quorum.

0:44

I think we've probably all had a chance to look over the agenda.

0:47

We have a couple minutes here.

0:48

So let's go ahead and start with uh can we have a motion to approve the agenda?

0:54

Motion approved the agenda.

0:55

Thank you.

0:56

Second.

0:57

All in favor.

0:59

Aye.

0:59

Any opposed.

1:02

Motion carries.

1:04

Move on to the consideration of minutes.

1:06

Again, I think we probably had a little bit of time here.

1:08

And does anybody need any more time?

1:11

No, we're good.

1:13

Make a motion to uh approve the minutes.

1:18

All in favor.

1:20

Aye.

1:21

Opposed.

1:22

Motion carries.

1:24

And we'll move on to public comments.

1:25

Aaron, do we have looks like we have some people for public comments?

1:28

Yes, it looks like we have one person here for public comment.

1:35

Thank you.

1:36

My name is Paul Romich.

1:37

I live in District One.

1:39

First and foremost, I want to thank City's Parks Department and all y'all.

1:43

I was just doing some research on a friend's town in Pennsylvania because he told me that all their playgrounds had to be shut down due to their insurer not wanting to carry liability for the city.

1:57

And so looking at the maintenance of those playgrounds, it was like, oh yeah, I get it.

2:04

So I just want to thank you know our parks for moving forward and you know, not only keeping on top of things, but also growing.

2:15

I'm kind of here to talk about the Riverwalk Trail, particularly in the missing link.

2:20

Uh the riverwalk was one of the big reasons I ended up moving to PLP specifically where I am, um, in the apartments behind Mama Stortini's, which is right there on the eastern terminus.

2:30

Um, you know, the first time I walked the riverwalk after moving here, I was a little confused though.

2:35

I was like, you know, I thought this went further.

2:38

And um, because it just kind of ended, you know, in uh right under 512.

2:44

Um this project um that you know hopefully we can get started on in next couple years here, uh, is will help solve you know that wayfinding problem.

2:56

Also add to the comfort of uh the overall trail itself, because um I know from whenever I ride my bike, I'm typically the only person who actually takes the street on fifth.

3:10

Everyone else, every other time I see a family or even like a you know, a more typical confident cyclist like myself, they're on the sidewalk.

3:19

Uh and that gets a little cramped, especially with how the quality of the sidewalk uh over there.

3:24

So having a formal trail connection across um, you know, between Veterans Park and 512 uh is I think very important for um the city's overall trail network and it creates a a complete spine uh along the north side of the city.

3:41

Um right now uh the city is working with Forever Green Trails, who is a nonprofit uh in Pierce County designed to um secure grant funding for uh trail projects within the county and um right now their focus is on Pew and so I think you know taking advantage of that as much as possible is key.

4:02

So Forever Green Trails um is running a fundraiser right now, and what this does is it gives our grant applications significantly more oomph when we compete with other um municipalities for um trails dollars.

4:17

So community support dollars.

4:19

Um we're targeting uh forever green trails is targeting 15,000.

4:24

Uh and right now we're at 6,400 as a community.

4:29

So shout out to this community for you know continuing to invest in our city.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Parks and Recreation█████████████████████████████████████████████67%
Public Engagement███████████16%
Procedural████████12%
Zoning and Land Use█2%
Transportation Safety█2%
Budget Equity Analysis█1%
Summary of Proceedings

Puyallup Parks & Recreation Board Meeting - September 8, 2025

The Puyallup Parks and Recreation Board met on Monday, September 8, 2025, at 5:00 PM in the Council Chambers. The meeting covered updates on the Bradley Lake playground replacement, the transfer of the Puyallup Parks Foundation, various parks and recreation projects, and the initiation of the Parks, Recreation & Open Space (PROS) Plan update. The meeting adjourned at 6:09 PM.

Consent Calendar

  • Agenda Approval: Motion by Board Member McCanna, seconded by Vice Chair Martin, passed 6-0.
  • Minutes Approval: Motion by Board Member Ragan, seconded by Vice Chair Martin, approved the July 14, 2025 minutes as written, passed 6-0.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Paul Rometsch (District 1 resident) expressed gratitude to the Parks Department for maintaining playgrounds, contrasting with a Pennsylvania town that closed playgrounds due to liability. He advocated for completing the Riverwalk Trail's "missing link" between Veterans Park and Highway 512 to improve safety for cyclists. He noted a community fundraising effort through Forever Green Trails with a goal of $15,000 (currently at $6,400) to strengthen grant applications for the trail project.

Discussion Items

  • Bradley Lake Playground Concepts: Parks and Recreation Director Cody Geddes reported that $500,000 has been allocated in the 2026 budget to replace the inclusive playground at Bradley Lake (the ramped-in play area near the parking lot). The city received four proposals. Board members and parks staff will independently score the proposals using provided scoring sheets, due by September 22, 2025. Combined scores will determine the contract award. The city plans to apply for an RCO grant to potentially match the $500,000 to fund a second playground area, focusing solely on the first if the grant is not awarded.
  • Puyallup Parks Foundation: Board Member Brian Spracklen updated that the current custodian is willing to transfer control to a new generation. The next steps include forming a board of directors and updating bylaws. The foundation will provide a mechanism for private donations to parks projects, addressing community interest in donating. Chair Erich Weiter suggested board members recommend candidates for the foundation board.
  • Parks and Recreation Updates (Cody Geddes):
    • Riverwalk Trail Phase 5: A "Trails and Ales" event at Off Camber Brewing with Forever Green Trails discussed the project connecting Veterans Park to the Highway 512 underpass. The design is about 90% complete; construction will be expensive.
    • Minnich Trail: The city is working with MultiCare on an easement. The Minnich house has been demolished and replaced with a wildflower meadow. They hope to obtain a conditional use permit by year-end to develop a soft-surface trail from Wildwood down to the property.
    • Van Lierop Park: Playground equipment and poured-in-place rubber pathways are installed. Remaining work includes concrete pathways, landscaping, and wood chips. A grand opening is planned for early October.
    • Skate Park: The final design was approved by City Council, pending final design and construction documents from Grindline before going to bid.
    • Summer Programs: Over 1,500 participants in Move Puyallup; day camps sold out; kids' concerts averaged 2,800 attendees per concert, with two concerts exceeding 3,500. Upcoming event: "Soggy Doggy" (splash park turned into a dog park for a day) for $5 per dog.
    • Staff Recognition: Day camp counselor Michael Brown performed the Heimlich maneuver and saved a young camper's life; recognized at a recent council meeting.
  • Parks, Recreation & Open Space (PROS) Plan Update:
    • AHBL Principal Planner Wayne Carlson explained that RCO grants require a certified PROS plan, now aligned with a 10-year update cycle to match the city's comprehensive plan (through 2034).
    • Project Manager Alex Campbell reviewed the seven existing goal statements (e.g., community involvement, broad range of activities, accessible facilities, broad-based funding, cooperative agreements). The board discussed addressing growth, playground inclusivity, and capacity challenges at high-traffic parks (Pioneer Park, Bradley Lake, Wildwood).
    • Public engagement will include a survey distributed via the city's email database of program participants (estimated 17,000 contacts). The draft public engagement plan will be shared electronically for board feedback before finalization.
    • Board members raised priorities: ensuring level of service matches growth, improving playground accessibility, adding synthetic turf fields, exploring a competitive pool partnership, and addressing dog park needs.
    • A special meeting was proposed for deeper PROS plan discussion.

Key Outcomes

  • Bradley Lake Playground: Board members will submit individual scores by September 22, 2025.
  • Parks Foundation: Board Member Spracklen will lead the transfer process; board members to recommend candidates for the foundation board.
  • PROS Plan Update: A draft public engagement plan will be circulated electronically for board feedback. The board agreed to schedule a special meeting on October 6, 2025 (backup date October 23, 2025) to advance the PROS plan work.
  • Future Meetings: The next regular meeting is November 10, 2025.

Meeting Transcript

Okay. Called to order the uh September 9th meeting of uh the parks and rec uh board meeting. Eric, we have a roll call, please. Board member McKenna. Board member Sprackland. Present. Board member Reagan. Present. Board member Cavizel. Present. Vice Chair Martin. Present. Chair Whiter. Present. We have a quorum. I think we've probably all had a chance to look over the agenda. We have a couple minutes here. So let's go ahead and start with uh can we have a motion to approve the agenda? Motion approved the agenda. Thank you. Second. All in favor. Aye. Any opposed. Motion carries. Move on to the consideration of minutes. Again, I think we probably had a little bit of time here. And does anybody need any more time? No, we're good. Make a motion to uh approve the minutes. All in favor. Aye. Opposed. Motion carries. And we'll move on to public comments. Aaron, do we have looks like we have some people for public comments? Yes, it looks like we have one person here for public comment. Thank you. My name is Paul Romich. I live in District One. First and foremost, I want to thank City's Parks Department and all y'all. I was just doing some research on a friend's town in Pennsylvania because he told me that all their playgrounds had to be shut down due to their insurer not wanting to carry liability for the city. And so looking at the maintenance of those playgrounds, it was like, oh yeah, I get it. So I just want to thank you know our parks for moving forward and you know, not only keeping on top of things, but also growing. I'm kind of here to talk about the Riverwalk Trail, particularly in the missing link. Uh the riverwalk was one of the big reasons I ended up moving to PLP specifically where I am, um, in the apartments behind Mama Stortini's, which is right there on the eastern terminus. Um, you know, the first time I walked the riverwalk after moving here, I was a little confused though. I was like, you know, I thought this went further. And um, because it just kind of ended, you know, in uh right under 512. Um this project um that you know hopefully we can get started on in next couple years here, uh, is will help solve you know that wayfinding problem.

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