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Waverly presents concept plan for Memorial Park: pool returns to original site, playground, skate area, pickleball and flexible green space
Summary
City staff presented a multi-year concept to rework Memorial Park around a restored pool location, a new destination playground, expanded parking, a skate facility, pickleball courts and flexible green space for events. Council and the public discussed phasing, restroom placement and tree preservation; no final council action was taken.
City staff presented a concept plan for Memorial Park at the June 16 council meeting that would restore the city pool to its original location and add a mix of programmed facilities and flexible green space, with construction staged over multiple years.
Staffer Garrett walked council through the design, which shows the pool in its historic footprint, a splash pad west of the pool, a destination playground near the shelters, a half-mile walking route, a new golf maintenance building, a skate park, four pickleball courts and expanded parking. "The pool's gonna go back into its original spot, where the old pool is right now," Garrett said while presenting the design.
Nut graf: The concept attempts to balance active recreation, family amenities and large open lawns that can host events such as Heritage Days. Councilmembers emphasized the need for phasing based on costs, additional restroom coverage in the park's southwest area and tree preservation around playground sites.
Key elements and discussion
The plan keeps the pool and bathhouse in the existing pool zone, adds a splash pad served by required splash-pad restrooms, and envisions a separate destination playground that staff said will be accessible to children with disabilities. Garrett noted a future playground would be a separate project and not removed to accommodate the pool work.
On active recreation, the plan includes a full basketball court (dual-use for winter skating), sand volleyball courts, pick-up flag-football space, a long narrow skate park and four pickleball courts with a shelter between the pickleball courts and splash pad. Staff said the park would retain large open lawns so events can be staged without scattering facilities across the site.
Council and public questions
Council and members of the public asked about restroom placement and vandalism concerns; Garrett acknowledged the southwest portion of the park needs additional restroom coverage and said the location could be added during detailed design. Several council members and members of the public praised the balance of uses and urged that the plan preserve open sight lines for event flexibility and limit dense tree plantings in the central lawn to keep areas usable for large events.
Costs, phasing and next steps
Staff told council the concept will be refined into cost estimates and a phased project list; several council members stressed the need to prioritize work based on grant opportunities, phasing affordability and city debt capacity. "This looks nice, but we gotta get a dollar figure on it," one council member said. Staff said additional consultant work and detailed estimates are expected this fall.
Ending: The concept will move to a cost-and-phasing review; no council commitment to construction or funding was made at this meeting.
