Consultant: More than 500 engaged in Astoria parks master-plan outreach; maintenance and aquatic expansion top priorities

Ian, a consultant from Mackenzie, told the Astoria Parks Board the outreach push for the parks master plan drew strong participation: “Overall, we had over 500 people engage, between those two items, between the open house and the online survey,” he said, and another short questionnaire added roughly 150 additional responses. He said the outreach included focus groups and a student survey to ensure youth voices were captured.

Ian summarized common themes from the data and the open house. Residents rated maintaining and improving existing facilities as the top priority, he said, while many respondents also supported expanding the aquatic center with flexible indoor recreation and additional fitness space. Other frequently mentioned needs included permanent restrooms at Fred Lindstrom Park and one or two more restroom facilities on the Riverwalk, updated trails planning (the trails plan dates to 2013) and replacing aging playground equipment to better serve different ages and abilities.

The consultant said the next open house will present “what we’ve heard so far” and ask residents to validate priorities and rank projects by near- or long-term timing. Ian confirmed two short presentations are planned, with seating and question-and-answer time, plus interactive boards and child-focused activities to help visitors indicate priorities. He said the team is aiming to have a community-supported plan ready for city council consideration around May.