Opinion: Look at alternate sites to build Kayla's Krew
The Franklin Common Council was provided the first review of the finances and proposed site layout for the Kayla's Krew playground last week. While there is solid support for the project, some questions remain regarding the site location and projected costs.
Prior to the city partnership on the project, Kayla's Krew raised funds to help bring the project to fruition. The warm reception from the community resulted in the city committing $500,000 in park impact fees, for a total project cost of $600,000 within the 2015 budget. Impact fees are charged to new development to help pay for the construction or needed expansion of offsite capital improvements, and require a percentage of matching funds to be released. Matching funds could come from a variety of angles, such as existing Kayla's Krew fundraising, Victory of the Lamb's assessment donation, and MMSD land donations. Despite this, and Kayla's Krew doubling its fundraising to $200,000, the total is still shy of the anticipated costs as presented to the Council, which has ballooned to $1.2 million.
Additionally, it has been discovered that the site has wetland and size acreage challenges. Here's some details on this:
- The site was selected based on the gracious donation from Victory of the Lamb Church. The Church came in with a site plan that did not include a layout for Kayla's Krew since access to the back parcel of their site, where the playground would go, needed to be designed.
- Obviously, it was not an optimal design to have a public park dependant on a private road access. Complications such as who maintains and plows the road, who shares the parking lot, etc. became an issue.
- In working out the details, the access road leading to the playground became a project cost to be handled by the city.
- With the new playground, there became a need to build a park pavilion (restrooms primarily) with available city sewer and water. Presently, there is no sewer or water line that goes down that far along Loomis Road. The city would need to extend the sewer and water line southwest to connect up with the new playground.
All of this coming to light, the dollar amount grew and now park impact fees, instead of being distributed among several possible projects, will now likely have to be consolidated into this one project.
The complications caused enough confusion and concern as to if the park should remain at the proposed location. Because of this, the Common Council directed staff to review other possible locations that may already have existing facilities, such as parking lots and pavilions/restrooms to help reduce the overall project costs. However, some of the key players are being somewhat resistent to exploring other options, in favor of allowing the current site costs to be as high as they are, or potentially even higher as we go along.
I posed a question to Mayor Olson if the intent is to explore both city and county park sites as options for this park's location.
"We're looking at all alternatives that would fit budget, schedule and the unique needs of the users of the playground as well as previous commitments and approval requirements." Olson replied. His response of using county parkland, however, was a little less enthusiastic.
"It's my hope that some of this available county parkland can be developed by the county for tennis courts and a dog park, both of which they own across the county yet not in Franklin."
Given how large some of the existing county parkland is in Franklin, there is still the opportunity to incorporate several features at a single park site. Simply because the Mayor wants to seek dog parks or tennis courts at a county park shouldn't mean that the proposed Kayla's Krew playground be excluded from being considered at the same location. This doesn't sound like keeping all of our options open.
Additionally, there are several existing city parks that I believe could provide ample space for the playground. Lions Legend Park, for example, could be a more central location and has ample green space available to incorporate a playground like Kayla's Krew. It would also be beneficial to the community on other fronts, such as providing more pedestrian access to the existing band shell and historical sites, and allowing families that have disabled children to better enjoy festivities during the 4th of July Celebration.
I strongly support Kayla's Krew and their vision to provide a playground that is more geared to assist the disabled children. I also strongly support and encourage the city to vet all options to ensure that taxpayer dollars are being spent wisely. Taxpayers shouldn't have to have their neighborhood projects put on hold because funds are exhausted at one location due to resistance and politics by some.