The plan defines how city parks can grow and improve
The City of Moab has been working on a citywide Parks and Recreation Master Plan (the first ever) since early 2023. Creating master plans was one of City Manager Carly Castle’s main goals when she started in the position in spring 2022; they’re useful in providing years-long strategic planning for aspects of the city. The parks plan will act as a ten year guide.
At the City Council meeting on Tuesday, November 14, Parks, Recreation and Trails Director Brianna Bowker (who recently started in the position following Annie McVay) and Steve Duh, a consultant with Conservation Technix, presented a few highlights of the plan.
Over 900 community members provided feedback to help shape the plan through surveys, open house meetings, and stakeholder discussions. Of the people who responded to the survey, 96% agreed that “local parks, recreation opportunities are important or essential to the quality of life.” The top reasons for visiting parks included community events/concerts, family gatherings/picknicking, and relaxation. The top reasons people didn’t visit parks more were that they were too crowded, didn’t have enough restrooms/parking, and parks were not well maintained. Only 1.3% of survey respondents said they don’t use any city parks facilities.
Duh said demographics can help guide what facilities may be needed in the future: The plan also cited an estimate from the Utah Governor’s Office of Management and Budget that by 2040, the population of Moab—which hovers today around 5,300 people—will grow to nearly 6,650.
In addition to community surveys, the team making the plan completed “site assessments” of the city’s recreation facilities, rating them as poor, fair, or good. Most parks and amenities are in good condition, but ADA compliance across many parks ranked as poor. That ranking system will ultimately become a project list, Duh said.
The key project recommendations include upgrades to Swanny Park (especially concerning the skate park, playground, and picnic shelters), a redesign for Center Street Ballparks to improve field amenities and add more varied recreation options, and a goal to install a splashpad and pickleball courts somewhere in the city. Duh also recommended the city evaluate options to replace the Center Street Gym: according to the plan, “upgrades to the Center Street Gym are cost prohibitive due to asbestos. Consider a holistic look at reuse of the building and space.”
Moving forward, the council hopes to approve the plan in December; if passed, implementing these recommendations will begin next year.
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Read the rest of this week’s edition:
Arches timed entry will continue in 2024
Cultivating community during Women’s Wall Street Wednesdays
Trail Ambassador program receives LNT Gold Standard Designation
Cranksgiving only comes once a year
Meeting at a glance: Moab City Council, November 14, 2023
Opinion: How do we remember Thanksgiving?
Opinion: Letter to the Editor—”Don’t let the Beaver Shaft uranium mine reopen in La Sal”
Moab History: Sufferage in Utah
Or, read through a pdf of this week’s print edition
