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Parks board forwards North Mesa Recreation Area master plan to County Council after presentation and public input
Summary
After a detailed presentation and public comment, the Parks and Recreation Board voted unanimously to recommend the North Mesa Recreation Area master plan — which prioritizes a bike park, parking/trail improvements and phased amenities with a preliminary estimate near $12.9 million — to County Council for review.
The Los Alamos Parks and Recreation Board voted unanimously to recommend the North Mesa Recreation Area master plan to the County Council after a presentation by the consultant team and a period of public comment.
Consultants Corinna (presentation lead) and Bob of Site Southwest outlined the master plan, saying it reflects more than a year of public engagement and aims to preserve open space while expanding recreation connections to trailheads, the middle school and nearby neighborhoods. "The North Mesa Rec area is an important community recreation hub that sits at the intersection of neighborhoods, schools, and trail networks," the presentation said.
Major adjustments in the latest draft include keeping the existing community gardens in place (with potential future expansion), expanding the proposed bike park from roughly 3 acres toward a 4–5 acre footprint based on user input, adding ADA parking near Brewer Arena access, and designing phased improvements. Presenters described a five-phase concept: phase 1 focused on the bike park and immediate site work; phase 2 on west-side trail and parking improvements; phase 3 on the dog park and sand volleyball; phase 4 on community gardens; and later phases for a pavilion, food-truck plaza and playground upgrades.
Preliminary, high-level cost figures presented to the board included a phase-1 summary around $3.5 million (with contingency), additional phases bringing a draft grand total described in the presentation as about $12.9 million. Presenters emphasized those numbers are "opinions of probable construction cost" with a 15% contingency and that final budgets will be set during design and procurement.
Public commenters raised concerns about parking capacity during major events (one commenter cited historic rodeo attendance estimates of 1,000–1,200 people) and the adequacy of proposed ADA parking. Commenters also urged fencing and more ADA access near the community garden. Board members and staff agreed to carry those concerns into the design phase and refine parking, ADA and phasing decisions.
After discussion, Speaker 3 moved and Speaker 17 seconded a recommendation that the County Council review and consider the plan. A roll-call vote found all members in favor; the recommendation will be included in staff materials for the council review process.
The master plan will advance to County Council, where staff said a task order with updated contractor costs and refined plans will be presented for council review during the upcoming budget and project-authorization cycle.
