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Candidates say new parks master plan aims to fix 20-year shortfalls; emphasize equity and maintenance
Summary
Forum candidates highlighted a recently completed parks plan, disputed whether the city has invested in parks over the past two decades, and discussed prioritizing neighborhood parks, maintenance and accessibility.
Candidates at the Oct. 29 Missoula forum addressed why some neighborhoods have seen little park investment compared with others and said a newly completed parks plan will guide future spending and prioritization.
Jennifer Savage, chair of the council's Parks, Trails and Conservation committee, said the city undertook an 18-month update to the parks master plan (referred to in the forum as the "Prost" plan) to identify park deserts and prioritize park improvements. "I hope that that plan actually is quite equitable. I think it is," she said, adding that the update accounts for new needs like trails and open space as Missoula grows.
Candidates disagreed over whether voters had supported park spending in the past two decades. Mike Nugent, who noted the $44 million parks and trails bond adopted by voters, said it funded major regional investments including Fort Missoula Regional Park and trail work and that neighborhood maintenance has not always kept pace. "There's absolutely a lot of issues, and neighborhood parks are one of them," Nugent said.
Daniel Carlino and David Quattrocci urged prioritizing park access within walking distance for all neighborhoods and protecting city-owned land as opportunities to create future parks rather than selling it to developers. "Once that land is developed or turned into concrete, it's very, very unlikely that it will be a park in the future," Carlino said.
Why it matters: Candidates framed parks as public assets tied to equity, neighborhood quality of life and long-term planning, with competing priorities between new projects and maintaining existing neighborhood amenities.
Clarifying details and examples
- Parks bond: Candidates referenced a past $44 million parks and trails bond as funding major projects and regional trails but said some promised neighborhood playground improvements had lagged.
- Park access goal: Candidates cited a goal from an earlier plan to have parks within a 10- to 15-minute walk for all residents as an objective to pursue.
Ending: Candidates said the new plan should guide equitable investments and that councilors must follow through to convert planning into on-the-ground projects and maintenance.
