Charles City Parks & Rec Board looks at master park plan possibilities

By Bob Steenson, bsteenson@charlescitypress.com

Members of the Charles City Parks and Recreation Board spent most of their meeting Wednesday evening looking at a long and wide-ranging list of potential city park additions and improvements that could become the basis for a “master park plan.”

Items on the list ranged from things as simple as minor repairs and replacements, to projects as large as several splash pads throughout the city, building a new clubhouse at Wildwood Golf Course and expansion of the Charley Western Recreational Trail.

Into the realm of dreaming big was even a suggestion to turn Wildwood into an 18-hole course.

The master park plan is something that the board has been talking about for years, at one point in 2021 going as far as considering spending upwards of $40,000 to hire a consultant to help with the process.

Ultimately the board decided to tackle the job itself, and for a couple of previous meetings this summer the directors visited community parks with Charles City Department of Parks and Recreation Director Tyler Mitchell, for a look at what exists now and a discussion of what could be.

After the park visits Mitchell asked the seven members of the Parks & Rec Board to each submit a list of suggestions for each park, and the group went through a compilation of those lists at its meeting this week.

With some further refinement based on the discussion at the meeting, Mitchell will send a new version of the list to each board member for them to rank their priorities. The highest total rankings for each park could form much of the basis for the group’s master park plan.

Some of the suggestions for each park includes:

Charles City Whitewater and Riverfront Park

• Significant repairs needed for some parts of the whitewater course.

• Splash pad.

• Skateboard park.

• Playground area.

• Parking.

Lions Field Park

• Replace volleyball area with a pavilion.

• Simple splash pad not directly connected with the pool.

• Repair and update ballfield area, stands, dugouts, concessions, etc.

• Replace playground equipment.

• Reutilize the former skate park area, for ice skating, pickleball courts or rebuilt as a skate park.

• Updates to the sledding hill to improve access and parking safety.

Sherman Park

• Flag pole.

Sportsmen’s Park

• Shelter repairs and updates.

• Update restrooms as family restrooms.

• Parking lot repairs, including accessibility additions.

• Splash pad.

• General maintenance and updating to existing facilities.

• Sidewalk repairs and additions to extend recreational trail through park.

• Convert basketball courts to ice rink in winter.

• More pickleball courts.

Waverly Hill Park

• Relocate small dog park to south of large dog park to avoid entry on the hill.

• New playground structures, perhaps “natural”-type structures.

• Restroom updates.

• Road repairs.

Westwood Park

• Replace/add playground equipment.

• Improve road and parking.

• Improve restrooms and concessions.

• Additional shelter or shelters.

Wildwood Golf Course

• No. 1 issue is the clubhouse.

• Hard surface cart trails.

• Replace bridge at hole No. 7.

• Drainage and landscaping work.

• Recreation trail around the course.

Horseshoe Court

• Consider whether this activity is needed or should be relocated.

Other

• Continued improvement and expansion of bike trails, including tying all parks together by bike trail.

• Trailheads, shelters or rest stops along the trail.

• Another boat dock.

Mitchell said he would try to get a new compiled list of suggestions to board members by next week so they can start ranking them in time to be considered again at the September meeting, Wednesday, Sept. 18.

Mitchell also gave the directors an update on a couple of big projects that are already underway.

The city awarded bids for a major overhaul of the outdoor swimming pool at Lions Field Park, including significant concrete work that is planned to be done this fall, and replacement and repairs of the mechanical systems that will be finished before the swimming season next spring.

Depending on final repair costs, a couple of new features could be added to the pool, and the Parks & Rec Board will begin fundraising efforts to add additional features.

The Parks Department has also ordered a new accessible playground that is replacing old playground equipment at Sportsmen’s Park. Mitchell reported that project is about two weeks behind the original schedule because of a delay in shipping the equipment, but it should be installed by late September and ready for a grand opening in early October.