A handful of Discovery Bay parks are about to benefit in a big way from a little-known county mitigation fund.

The CSD Board agreed in a unanimous vote last week to begin allocating dollars for improvements from the Park Dedication Funds Trust, an account comprised of fees collected by the county from the construction of single-family homes built between 1990 and 2007. The fund allows for recreation-oriented improvements within the community from which the fees were derived. To date, Discovery Bay will receive $110,000 from the fund.

Working from a previously compiled wish list of park improvements, Director David Piepho made the motion during last week’s regular CSD meeting to approve work on four of the eight proposed projects. The four items would include new bocce ball courts and a park bench at Cornell Park, and spring toys to both the Roberta Fuss Tot Lot and Regatta Park.

The combined cost of those improvements comes to approximately $12,000. The remaining $98,000, said Piepho, can be allocated at a later date. “Let’s just do it and get things going,” he said. “Let’s fix the items we know we can first.”

But some residents disagreed. “Why not use (all of) the money for Regatta Park?” asked resident Don Flint, referring to original proposals to improve the community park area, including new basketball courts, at an approximate cost of $250,000.

Other suggestions from the original list included directing funds toward the long-anticipated community center project, and improvements to Slifer Park.

Long-time resident Walter MacVittie, however, said he believed the dollars should stay within the communities of Discovery Bay proper, which paid the largest amount into the park funds account.

“I think we’re being good neighbors to share, but I would like to see some of it (money) come from those in DB proper who paid into it.”

The board decided to proceed with the four agreed-upon items and directed staff to bring the original renderings and plans for Regatta Park improvements back to the next CSD meeting on Feb. 4.

“There will definitely be some (money) left over, and we can take a look at the plan (for Regatta) and go from there,” said Piepho in a later phone interview. “Once again, I think this is just about getting the community the best things we can by getting the most accomplished with the use of those dollars. I see it as a huge opportunity, and I’m excited for the community that we can receive these funds and put them to immediate use. It’s some good news.”