Consultant outlines Liberty Lake parks master plan, schedules May 22 kickoff workshop

Jen Dial, project manager with consulting firm SCJ Alliance, presented an overview of Liberty Lake’s Parks and Recreation Master Plan and a draft public participation plan at the Community Engagement Commission meeting, asking commissioners and residents to help promote a May 22 kickoff workshop and summer outreach events.

The presentation outlined why the city is updating a plan last comprehensively revised in 2008, what the consultants will inventory and analyze, and how public input will shape recommendations. “This planning process is really is yours. It’s the residents of Liberty Lakes, and it needs to be tailored and unique to the community,” Dial said, framing the outreach-centered approach.

Dial told commissioners the consultant team will update the community profile and demographic context, scrub current policies, complete a physical inventory of parks and assets, and review level-of-service standards. The plan will also include recommendations, an updated vision and mission if warranted by public input, and optional park design schematics where needed. Dial said aligning the plan with the Recreation and Conservation Office’s (RCO) requirements could extend grant eligibility for up to six years, and the team will ensure the plan considers the state’s Growth Management Act requirements.

The draft public participation plan calls for in-person pop-up events, drop-in workshops, two rounds of public surveys (one at project kickoff and a second to test draft recommendations), stakeholder interviews, and digital mapping tools. Dial asked the commission to help identify outreach channels, partner organizations, and ideal community events for pop-up engagement. She said the kickoff workshop will be May 22, with drop-in hours from 4 to 6 p.m. at the Trailhead Event Center, and that SCJ will provide paper and online surveys and share results with staff and the public.

Commission members suggested integrating existing survey work to reduce “survey fatigue,” using imagery of past engagement (for example, sticky-note ideas gathered at Pavilion Park), and partnering with HOAs, service clubs (Kiwanis, Rotary), and events (Barefoot in the Park, Liberty Days, pancake breakfast) to reach more residents. Robin Beckadel and others recommended placing outreach at high-traffic events and using spatial tools such as Social Pinpoint so residents can place pins and comments on a map.

Dial said SCJ would include public art in the inventory and outreach, and that the team will provide the commission with the PowerPoint, the public participation plan, and future deliverables. She estimated the outreach and data collection work will take place through the summer with recommendations summarized by early September.

The commission agreed to help promote the May 22 kickoff and to provide lists of local organizations and events SCJ should contact. Dial offered to coordinate with city staff on event logistics and to supply marketing materials and flyers for commissioners to distribute.

The presentation closed with members asking for copies of the PowerPoint and the participation plan; Dial said she would send the materials to city staff.