The Highlands Recreation District is moving forward with plans to rehabilitate the existing playground and sports court areas to support multigenerational uses of the space and serve the broader Highlands community. At their meeting on March 9, 2021, the Highlands Board of Directors approved a design services proposal that develops various concepts to address previously identified needs and improvements while maximizing the project budget and informing potential tradeoffs. The design process will enable the District to present these concepts to the community to consider and prioritize for the most community benefit. Some identified priorities include:

• Providing enhanced spaces for casual drop in use from the neighborhood.
• Repairing playground and pathway fences that are in disrepair.
• Improving accessibility to the playground, picnic benches, and water faucets.
• Incorporating different playground elements to attract and serve children of multiple ages and abilities.
• Creating multi-generational opportunities and spaces to support teens, adults, and seniors.
• Adding amenities to improve the overall experience at the Rec including comfortable seating, water bottle filling stations and faucets, outdoor gaming tables, outdoor fitness equipment for ages 13+.
• Sports court rehabilitation to enhance and increase play for a broader range of users.

To fund these improvements, the District is eligible for Proposition 68 Per Capita Grant funding which was approved by voters on June 5, 2018 and made available for local governments for park rehabilitation, creation, and improvements on a per capita basis. The maximum grant that the District is eligible is $177,952 and requires a 20% match. To be eligible for funding, the Board approved a resolution allowing the application for per capita funds at their regular board meeting on September 10, 2019. The District must submit a completed application to the State of California by December 31, 2021. The Board will approve the final design, budget, and scope for the project.

What is next? Initial design proposals and concepts will be developed and presented to the Board for community input and to inform plan development. After which, the community will have other opportunities to provide input on the plan which may include a hosted community meeting in-person or via zoom, project intercept activities at the Rec, an online survey and/or displaying concept boards in public spaces. A final plan will be developed and presented to the Board for review and approval. The process is expected to take approximately 3 months followed by project construction. 

To learn more about the project or how to get involved visit our website www.highlandsrec.ca.gov or give us a call at (650) 341-4251.  

Parks Make Life Better!

Derek Schweigart

General Manager