BACKGROUND
Location and Size
This 4.5 acre park site is located in the Westbrook area off of Summerfaire and Solaire Drives.
Public Outreach
Consistent with the standard public outreach program, two face to face neighborhood workshops were conducted on September 27 and October 29, 2018. At these workshops, the park planning process was explained, feedback on priorities regarding desired amenities was collected and a concept sketch was presented for comment. Meeting minutes can be found online.
A two week write in period began on December 7, 2018, and ended on December 21, 2018. An updated and colored design rendering was posted online and residents were invited to make comments. Eleven emails were received. Overall comments received were supportive of the design proposal. Comments included questions about the adjacent well site, which were fielded to the Environmental Utilities Department, water play, adding more basketball courts, adding a rose garden, and adding an off-leash dog park.
Design Considerations
Neighborhood parks are designed for a one-hour “stay and play” value and are located within a walk or bike ride from home. The type of recreation associated with neighborhood parks are generally informal and seek to balance neighborhood needs and city recreation needs. When building adjacent to homes, we seek to provide value while being “good neighbors”.
Budgets are also considered in the design process. Budgets are established during the specific plan phase through a park financing plan.
Master Plan Proposal
The master plan proposes a design that offers a “game theme” with a concrete foosball table, concrete corn hole game area, picnic tables with game table surfacing such as checkers and chess, a practice Frisbee golf goal, a shade structure over the tables, a half court for basketball, multi-use turf, and water-efficient landscaping. A perimeter walkway with three exercise pods is included. This park design meets the allocated budget of $950,000, which includes hard costs (construction) and soft costs (design, engineering, permits, project management, and inspection).
Schedule
Anticipated start of construction is Spring 2020.