Parks and Recreation Commission - April 28, 2026

Middle school athletics stays city-run while Palo Alto seeks full-program bids

The Parks and Recreation Commission voted 5-1 to keep Palo Alto’s Middle School Athletics Program under city operation for the 2026-27 school year while soliciting proposals from qualified organizations to manage the full program. The action also calls for recruiting more coaches and strengthening nonprofit-supported financial assistance.

Any outside proposals will be compared with continued city operation before the issue returns for further commission and City Council consideration. The vote did not outsource the program or invite proposals to manage individual sports.

The program charges $335 per sport and records approximately 1,200 registrations annually, with about 70 participants remaining on waiting lists each year. Qualifying families can receive a city fee reduction of up to 50%; 73 registrations used that assistance during the 2025-26 school year. The Palo Alto Recreation Foundation is providing $10,000 for the upcoming school year, which staff said could support up to 60 full scholarships when combined with the city reduction.

Commissioner Vadim Axelrod proposed allowing partial, sport-by-sport management proposals in addition to bids for the full program. That substitute motion, seconded by Commissioner Roger Smith, failed on a clarified 3-3 vote. Axelrod, Smith and Vice Chair Bing Wei supported it, while Chair Nellis Freeman and Commissioners Amanda Brown and Yudy Deng opposed it.

Staff warned that partial outsourcing could create management and equity problems and raise costs for sports left with the city. Contracting out girls volleyball alone, staff estimated, could require either increasing fees for the remaining sports by about $20, to $355, or adding $22,000 to the city subsidy. Axelrod cast the only vote against the final staff-recommended plan. Public commenters supported testing outside management while raising concerns about coaching consistency, program organization and responsiveness to complaints.

Foothills plan moves forward without a vote after parking debate

The commission took no formal action on proposed improvements at Foothills Nature Preserve, but its feedback generally supported retaining a gravel parking lot across Boronda Lake as staff completes the design. The lot would offset the proposed removal of nine parallel parking spaces and provide capacity during peak-use periods.

The reduced-scope plan has a preliminary conceptual cost of $350,000 to $400,000 following a $200,000 fiscal year 2026 budget reduction. It includes 3- to 4-foot pedestrian pathways in higher-use areas, two accessible spaces near Boronda Lake, benches and reconfigured parking at Vista Hill, crosswalks, traffic-calming features, signs and a dirt island intended to enforce one-way traffic. About 1,200 feet of previously proposed split-rail fencing was removed from the scope, and staff said the project would not remove trees or require retaining walls.

Supporters of the gravel lot said it could accommodate busy days and discourage unauthorized parking that could damage habitat. Vice Chair Bing Wei urged a preserve-first approach focused on managing demand within the existing footprint, while Commissioner Shani Kleinhaus favored reducing or deferring additional parking and questioned the effects of curbs, signs and other infrastructure on the preserve’s character. Commissioner Vadim Axelrod asked staff to verify wheelchair access between the new accessible spaces and the lake and suggested that additional parking could be phased if needed.

Public commenters sought clearer design graphics and questioned the environmental review and potential effects on vegetation, habitat, slopes and road width. Staff is expected to return in May for a commission recommendation on a Park Improvements Ordinance. Design and construction documents are planned for completion by summer 2026, with tentative City Council consideration that summer and construction in fall and winter 2026.

Commission discussion narrows synthetic-turf work to playgrounds

Staff is set to revise the commission’s fiscal year 2027 work plan so its proposed synthetic-turf policy review focuses on playgrounds rather than non-athletic fields more broadly. The meeting record does not contain an explicit motion or vote confirming the revision.

City Council reviewed the work plan April 6 but did not approve it, instead directing the commission to address synthetic-turf use in playground settings. The commission discussed excluding landscaping and golf-course driving ranges from that work.

The work plan also would prioritize guidance for incorporating native plants into parklands associated with new developments and for maintaining existing city parklands. The revised plan must return to City Council for approval, but no schedule was available.

Mitchell Park court debate is expected to return in May

Staff said the commission’s expected May 26 agenda would include a discussion of tennis and pickleball, following public comments that exposed disagreement over expanding pickleball capacity at Mitchell Park. The commission took no action on the issue at this meeting.

One commenter described a proposal to expand from 15 to 23 pickleball courts, though the commission did not independently confirm those figures. Speakers urged the city to balance pickleball demand with tennis access, parking, noise, accessibility for Magical Bridge users, playground use, open space and other recreation needs.

Primary sources

Watch the meeting on YouTube · Read the official meeting packet