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White Sulphur Springs committee advances parks master plan, seeks more public input
Summary
The White Sulphur Springs Parks Advisory Committee and Great West Engineering reviewed a park audit and agreed on outreach steps for a Recreation Master Plan; a draft public survey is due late September and the final plan is targeted for completion by June 30, 2025.
The White Sulphur Springs Parks Advisory Committee met Sept. 19, 2024 and heard from Great West Engineering on next steps for a Recreation Master Plan, including a draft public survey and an outreach schedule intended to increase public participation in park planning.
Great West staff described findings from a site tour and community park audit of Springs Park, Spike’s Happy Trails, Joanna’s Park, McStravick Park, Bair Park and Rader Park and told the committee they would summarize the audit for review. Committee members stressed the need for broader public input after noting only 21 responses to a recent capital-improvement survey.
Committee and consultant agreed on a multilayered outreach approach: a revised online survey that Great West will draft and deliver to the committee by the last week of September; targeted meetings at the senior center, youth center and school; outreach to scout groups; and a town-hall meeting supported by postcard mailings. Great West recommended child-focused activities (such as asking younger children to draw a “dream park”) to capture preferences across age groups.
The master-plan scope discussed included potential new or expanded amenities — skate facilities, walking trails, cross-country skiing and snowshoeing, soccer fields and dog parks — and the committee asked that Great West consider including a decision matrix in the plan to help evaluate future proposals for activities or new parks.
Staff and committee members flagged site-specific constraints the plan should address: unresolved property-boundary and ownership questions at Spike’s, McStravick, Rader and Bair parks; puddling and other water issues that could limit trail locations; and the potential need for walking easements or interlocal agreements to create continuous trails where sidewalks or right-of-way are missing.
Great West provided example documents (including a trails plan used in a previous Montana project) and requested photos of each park; Liaison Pattie Berg arranged for the county sheriff’s office to take drone photos at sufficient altitude to show overall park footprints. The consultant also noted that reports will need to meet accessibility requirements.
The committee set a target schedule: Great West will draft the survey by late September, the committee will finalize an outreach plan, and the consultant will begin writing the demographic and geographic sections of the plan. The final Master Plan is expected by the end of the fiscal year, June 30, 2025, contingent on the time required to collect and process public feedback.
The committee took no formal vote on plan content at the meeting and identified several follow-ups for subsequent meetings, including clarifying property boundaries and collecting additional community input.
