Charles City Parks Board begins work on comprehensive master plan

By Bob Steenson, bsteenson@charlescitypress.com

The Charles City Parks and Recreation Board has begun developing a long-term outline to guide improvements and development across the city park system, beginning to work with a consulting company to come up with a “master park plan.”

At its Wednesday, April 16, meeting, the board met with Shannon Gapp, a planner with MSA Professional Services, which the city hired to help create the plan.

Gapp said the comprehensive park master plan will focus on evaluating existing conditions, identifying needs, setting goals and outlining specific action steps for park improvements and recreation opportunities throughout the city.

“This plan specifically provides park, trail and recreation recommendations,” Gapp said. “It looks at goals, policies, feedback from the community … and it importantly has what we call an action plan matrix at the end of the document that helps guide implementation, establish priorities and aid in decision making.”

The Parks and Recreation Board will serve as the steering committee for the planning process, Gapp said. Board members will act as project ambassadors, encouraging community participation and helping shape recommendations based on local needs.

Several board members and city officials said the effort was long overdue and would help the city both prioritize and better plan for needed improvements.

“We have more parks than money,” said board member Diane Meyer.

Board Chair Jeff Otto said the plan would help provide “more of a focus on certain things,” while Parks and Recreation Director Tyler Mitchell emphasized how an organized plan would help during annual budgeting and applying for grants.

“Every year when it comes grant time or just budget time, we’re always scrambling to figure out what we want to do,” Mitchell said. “This will kind of help put it so it’s not taking us months and months to try and figure out the budget.”

The group spent much of the meeting going through each of the city-owned parks, reviewing facilities and brainstorming ideas for upgrades, maintenance and new amenities.

Some ideas included:

• Central Park: Replacing lost trees, updating electrical wiring, and exploring the possibility of building a permanent amphitheater or stage to replace the mobile bandshell used for events, although Mayor Dean Andrews noted that the idea of any permanent structure in the park was decided against many years ago in fear it would cause restrictions on park usage.

• Waverly Hill Park: Adding a better area for small dogs in the dog park that isn’t focused on the very hilly area along 6th Street, updating the playground and restrooms, improving lighting and possibly adding natural play features.

• Lions Field Park: Determining the use for an area that was tennis courts and later a skate park but that now is unused, possibly using it for pickleball courts or volleyball courts; possibly adding a splash pad to go along with the newly refurbished swimming pool, converting an old volleyball court into a picnic shelter and addressing parking lot and playground equipment conditions.

• Riverside Park: Improving landscaping and rock work along the river, repairing the amphitheater and exploring the idea of a skate park and/or splash pad in Riverside Park along the river east of the Brantingham Street bridge.

• Sherman Park: Considering relocating the city’s boat dock to this park and converting wet ground areas into prairie grass for stormwater management.

• Sportsmen’s Park: Adding additional pickleball courts, possibly on existing basketball courts, but making sure a basketball area remains available, either at Sportsmen’s or elsewhere in the community; expanding the bike trail through the park; shoring up riverbanks along the disc golf course; and possibly adding  a “mini pitch” that could be used for soccer, basketball, pickleball, ice skating or other uses.

• Westwood Park: Updating the playground, restrooms and parking areas, and potentially reviving soft mountain bike trails.

• Wildwood Golf Course: Deciding what to do about the aging clubhouse, improving the condition of pedestrian bridges, and adding irrigation to help prevent course shutdowns during droughts.

The city’s Charlie Western Trail also received attention, with Parks & Rec Board member Cory Mutch advocating expanding and improving the trail wherever possible. Gapp said flood-prone areas, lighting and general maintenance needs would be addressed in the plan.

Mayor Andrews said he hopes to involve young people in the planning process as well, through a relatively new Mayor’s Youth Advisory Council. High school students have expressed interest in making sure teen-friendly facilities are part of the city’s park planning.

“There’s stuff for little kids to do, there’s stuff for adults to do, there’s not much for teenagers to do,” Andrews said the students told him, and Gapp agreed that’s a common sentiment among people in that age group in many communities.

Gapp welcomed the idea of youth participation and said she would make sure the youth council is invited to a future Park & Rec Board planning meeting.

The planning process will continue over the coming months. Gapp said her next steps include gathering additional site data and drafting a preliminary document to review at a future meeting.

The finished plan could eventually serve as a long-term guide for prioritizing projects, applying for funding and shaping the future of recreation in Charles City.

Also at the meeting, board members:

• Discussed when a ribbon-cutting ceremony can be done for the new accessible playground at Sportsmen’s Park. Mitchell said the playground is finished, with the poured rubber surface and wood chips installed, and available to be used now.

The ribbon-cutting may be dependent on when a major donor can travel from Florida to attend. Steve White made a $50,000 donation in memory of his mother, Donna White, toward the playground, and Board Chair Otto, who has been coordinating with White, said he would contact him regarding availability.

• Heard from Mitchell that the municipal swimming pool in Lions Field Park will likely open on the Monday of Memorial Day weekend, May 26, although it may be closed on some of the following week days depending on staff availability. A ribbon-cutting for the newly refurbished facility may be held on Friday, May 30.