City staff recommended allocating the estimated $675,000 for a new shelter and $450,000 for upgraded restroom in the next five-year Capital Improvement Program plan in 2024 and 2025 to get construction started as soon as possible.

This would be in addition to the other $1 million worth of improvements across Prairie Village’s park system outlined in the latest CIP plan.

Background: The city council and the parks and recreation committee were unsure of how to budget the $1 million Harmon Park projects because the parks CIP plan was already full.

While the Harmon Park projects are necessary, so are $1 million worth of improvements at six other parks in Prairie Village over the next five years, the city says.

This left the financial questions of how and when to fund Harmon Park’s restroom and shelter unanswered at the April 4 city council meeting.

The new facilities are an effort to accommodate additional traffic expected from the inclusive playground being built at Harmon Park later this year.

The pool: Along the same lines of Harmon Park, updates to the city’s municipal pool were also left out of the CIP parks plan.

City staff outlined a number of updates completed over the years at the 22-year-old pool complex, including a $450,000 replaster of the leisure and wading pools and $150,000 worth of pool bath house repairs.

City staff plans to budget $80,000 for pool painting in the CIP plan for 2026, according to city documents.

Additionally, an assessment of the pool complex’s footprint and amenity needs is tentatively scheduled for 2030, according to city documents.

What’s next: City staff will bring back detailed funding sources for the Harmon Park improvements for approval in May, along with the full capital improvement plan, according to city documents.

The city council unanimously approved the timeline recommendations as laid out by city staff. Councilmember Cole Robinson was absent.