Following the Money: 2021 NIP Dollars = Real Upgrades at Lake Como Park

Miss Peacock
Jan 28
3 min read

Lake Como—good news: Lake Como Park is getting upgrades, and the work has already started.

This week, City staff confirmed the scope, timeline, budget, and funding source for improvements now underway at the park. The improvements include:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NO5Lpe45Dpw

A Multi- gym (knee lift station, sit-up station, balance board, cardio walker)
Two park benches
A 6-foot-wide trail extension connecting to the southeast parking lot
A solar light

Work is anticipated to wrap in 5–6 weeks, with most work completed by the Park & Recreation Department Trades team, and Transportation & Public Works assisting with installation of the solar light.

And here’s the part residents deserve to know every time:

✅ Total Budget: $125,076.20

✅ Funding Source: 2021 Neighborhood Improvement Program (NIP) – Como neighborhood allocation

The “Follow the Money” part

Since February 2025, I’ve been asking questions about the remaining NIP funds—because public dollars should never be mysterious, and Lake Como residents shouldn’t have to guess what we’re “supposed” to be grateful for.

In 2021, the City’s Neighborhood Improvement Program allocated $3.19 million to Lake Como. But even with that investment, there was still a big gap: no clear, resident-facing sustainability plan for how the investments would be maintained—or how remaining funds would be prioritized in a way residents could see and verify. That’s exactly why KLCB pushed for transparency and strategy.

KLCB met with the Neighborhood Improvement Program coordinator (at the time), brought forward community priorities, and—hopeful—submitted a ready-to-execute proposal grounded in public safety, quality of life, and resident support.

That proposal emphasized what residents already knew:

If you invest in visible, practical, community-used assets, you reduce blight, discourage dumping, and increase pride.
And if you want a project to last, you need a community engine behind it—activation, stewardship, and consistent engagement. 【

KLCB even built a community mobilization plan designed to drive participation and ongoing stewardship—because “build it and leave” isn’t revitalization.

Why this update matters (and what it proves)

Let’s be clear: this Lake Como Park project predates me. That’s not the point.

The point is this:

When residents don’t receive clear updates about public investments, it creates a vacuum—confusion, rumors, low trust, and missed opportunities for community ownership.

KLCB’s role is to close that gap.

This is what it looks like to be Lake Como’s redevelopment organization:

We ask the questions that protect community interests.
We follow the funding so residents aren’t left in the dark.
We translate the bureaucracy into plain language.
We report back, consistently—so progress is visible and civic power grows.

What’s coming to the park (a few details)

The construction plans provided by Parks show a clear site layout and details for the new additions—including the fitness station and its components. The equipment schedule lists an Ultra Play fitness station model UP315S with multiple elements (MultiGym, Cardio Walker, Balance Board, Sit-Up Station, and Knee Lift Station).

So yes—this isn’t vague “improvements someday.” This is a defined scope you can point to and measure.

The real win: residents get the benefit—and we build capacity

This post is not about credit. It’s about capacity.

Lake Como deserves civic systems that:

communicate clearly,
nurture new resident leaders,
and treat community engagement as a core deliverable—not an inconvenience.

That’s the work KLCB is building toward as we prepare for Season 2: programs, people power, and neighborhood progress you can actually see.

If you want to be part of that—join us.

📢 Stay connected with Keep Lake Como Beautiful (KLCB)! 💜 🦁 💛

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