City to Relocate Arroyo Park Sky Track within Park

A playground on wood chips surrounded by grass and trees.

By Vanguard AdministratorMarch 11, 20223 comments

Special to the Vanguard

Davis, CA – The City of Davis announced today it plans to relocate the Sky Track park equipment to another area of Arroyo Park in west Davis. The Sky Track is closed during this re-location effort.. The City is seeking input about this relocation at the March 16 Recreation and Parks Commission meeting and through neighborhood outreach. The City will also seek feedback about another park amenity to be installed in the existing Sky Track location.

The decision to relocate the Sky Track was made by City staff after documentation of multiple incidents of vandalism of the locking mechanisms that were originally installed to prevent after-hours use, and after a report by City noise consultant, Acoustics Group, Inc. (AGI) showed that the noise generated by the Sky Track sometimes exceeds City noise standards while in use.

According to the noise study, “The noise level at the existing Sky Track location would be as high as 57.2, 55.5, and 66.3 dBA at NM1, NM2, and NM3, respectively, when teenagers operate the equipment. At NM1 and NM2 the noise from daytime and nighttime operations would exceed the City of Davis Daytime and Nighttime Standard of 55 and 50 dBA, respectively.”

The staff report noted, “Since the Sky Track was installed in Arroyo Park, the City has experienced several practical challenges with the play equipment in this specific location – namely issues with noise and vandalism. Noise issues are directly attributed to the moving/mechanical nature of the equipment and the close proximity of the equipment to nearby homes.”

When the city conducted a survey in February 2020, the city received over 500 responses – most of them indicated a positive experience, but 13 comments raised concerns specially about the issue of noise. “Since noise impacts only affect the households in closer proximity to the Sky Track, it is to be expected that the vast majority of respondents would not raise noise as a concern.”

In a release, the city said, “The City understands that the Sky Track equipment has been very popular and enjoyed by many Arroyo Park users, and appreciates everyone’s patience as this temporary closure is undertaken to implement a re-location.

“Ultimately, park users will be able to enjoy the Sky Track again soon, albeit in a different location within the park, and also have the added benefit of a new playground amenity with the new play equipment that will be installed in the current Sky Track location.”