Beaumont committee accepts parks master plan; feasibility study for community center and aquatics recommended

The Parks and Community Services Committee on Wednesday accepted a final Parks and Community Services Master Plan and directed staff to present the draft to the City Council on June 3.

The plan, prepared with consultant RHA, recommends pursuing additional parkland to meet projected demand, developing about 5 miles of Southern California Edison easement trails, modernizing existing parks and facilities, and conducting a feasibility study for a community center that would evaluate indoor recreation and an aquatics component. The committee approved the report by voice vote; no council members voted against the motion.

The master-plan presentation, led by Doug Grove of RHA and introduced by Doug Story, the city’s community services director, summarized community input, inventory and a level-of-service analysis. Grove said the plan’s statistically valid mailed survey returned 416 responses — “which is a good number” — and reported that 48% of Beaumont residents live within a 10-minute walk of a park, compared with a national median of 55%.

Why it matters: committee members and staff said the plan will guide capital investments and development negotiations as Beaumont grows. RHA and city staff showed maps and a detailed inventory of every park amenity; those materials underlie the plan’s recommendations for new facilities and capital projects. The plan also feeds the department’s capital improvement program (CIP) and budget planning.

Key findings and recommendations

- Park access and demand: The plan finds gaps in some parts of the city and projects growing needs as population rises. For example, the report shows a need for roughly 31 acres of community parkland now and about 50 acres within 10 years under the study’s level-of-service targets. Grove explained those figures are driven by population projections and resident priorities identified in the survey.

- Trails and connectivity: The plan prioritizes development of about 5 miles of SCE (Southern California Edison) easement trails and maps where new trail connections would increase walkability and link existing routes.

- Facilities and programs: The consultant and staff identified indoor recreation and aquatics as a top service gap. The plan recommends a feasibility study for a new community/recreation center and an aquatic facility to analyze costs, operations and siting, and to take existing private and HOA amenities into account.

- Maintenance and modernization: Residents favored improving and maintaining existing parks. The plan includes a detailed asset-rating database (benches, playgrounds, fields, restrooms) to inform phased improvements and CIP requests.

Funding and CIP context

City staff and the consultant explained funding options discussed in the report, including development impact fees and developer-provided parkland or fee-in-lieu arrangements. The presentation said the department and city have already planned and funded approximately $17.8 million in park projects (Nicholas, Palmer, Sports Park and Stewart Park) and have another roughly $17 million in planned-but-unfunded projects; staff also reported about $15 million in recent completed park improvements. The plan’s CIP spreadsheets list individual project phases and cost estimates intended to help Council weigh funding priorities.

Public comment and committee concerns

A written public comment from resident Clinton Yates asked about the fate of the existing disc-golf course planned for removal at Nicholas Park: “Disc golf is massively growing over 500,000 PDGA members asking for locals and the extended disc golf members coming here,” Yates wrote. Committee members and staff said relocation is on the department’s radar and that they are seeking partners to preserve or relocate the course rather than simply eliminate it.

Members of the public and committee also raised concerns about continued access and safety at existing amenities during construction and renovations, citing the dog park and local HOA pools as examples for staff to consider when planning new or relocated facilities.

Next steps

Staff said they are preparing the draft master plan for internal review in mid-May and expect to present the final plan to City Council on June 3. The committee discussion and the report will inform CIP budgeting and any recommended feasibility study scope. Staff noted that the city’s budget process in June will determine whether funds for a feasibility study are included.

Speakers quoted in this article spoke at the committee meeting or submitted written comments; direct quotes are attributed to the speaker who made them at the meeting or in the written submission.