September 21, 2026
Email: ParkRec.commission@paloalto.gov
CC: City.Council@cityofpaloalto.org, Sarah.Robustelli@paloalto.gov
Dear Palo Alto Parks and Recreation Commission Chair Nellis Freeman and Commissioners,
Sierra Club Loma Prieta Chapter urges the Parks and Recreation Commission (PRC) to rework its scant Guidelines into an actual Policy as requested by Council, and when seeking “Stakeholder engagement” to look beyond Magical Bridge, a playground vendor and the sole stakeholder engaged.
In the City Council’s April 6 Summary Minutes, Parks & Recreation Commission Chair Nellis Freeman presented the Fiscal Year 2027 Work Plan, stating: “The Work Plan reflected the PRC’s role to advise Council on policy matters related to parks, open space, golf, and other recreational programs ... This year’s focus would align with the Parks Master Plan, respond to community needs, and advance key Council priorities. At a high level, the work focused on planning, transparency, access, equity, sustainability, and stewardship.” [1]
[1. https://cityofpaloalto.primegov.com/Public/CompiledDocument?meetingTemplateId=18695&compileOutputType=1 - Search for “Parks Master Plan”]
In the spirit of responding to community needs and advancing key Council priorities, PRC should rework Attachment A, Playground Synthetic Turf Use Guidelines, to turn it into a Policy document. Policy, which is what the City Council requested, establishes required standards and is binding, while Guidelines establish recommendations that may be flexible.
The PRC should also write a new review for its redone Playground Synthetic Turf Use Policy.
A More Thorough Review
Concerning the review as currently written, at the very least PRC ought to have contacted other stakeholders, especially those in the community of Palo Alto. An easy way to accomplish this would be to visit Palo Alto Community Centers, such as at Mitchell Park, Cubberly, or Lucie Stern on a Saturday afternoon when family members are most likely to be present, and ask whether people prefer grass or synthetic turf on playgrounds they visit most often.
A benefit to engaging residents and family members in Palo Alto is that they have no financial stake in their answers.
It also would be good to engage an environmentally focused community group in Palo Alto. In addition to Sierra Club Loma Prieta Chapter, or perhaps the Palo Alto Youth Climate Advisory Board, any of the environmental groups at 3921 E. Bayshore Road might be engaged: Grassroots Ecology, Canopy, Acterra, Climate Resilient Communities (CRC).
Reworking Attachment A, Playground Synthetic Turf Use Guidelines
As a set of Guidelines, Attachment A is extremely minimal and ambiguous. It is definitely not a Policy document as was requested by City Council.
However, even as Guidelines, given the brief list of vague considerations, a person might assert nearly anything about any particular bullet point, then subsequently declare the “conclusion” final. It is exactly this sort of random pronouncement that guidelines are meant to alleviate.
In summary, Sierra Club Loma Prieta Chapter respectfully urges PRC to rework its entire document before presenting it to the City Council.
Sincerely,
Susan Hinton
Conservation Committee, Chair
https://www.sierraclub.org/loma-prieta/conservation
Plastic Pollution Prevention Committee, Chair
https://www.sierraclub.org/loma-prieta/plastic-pollution-prevention
Sierra Club Loma Prieta Chapter