Author: Columbia Valley Park and Recreation District

Welcome to the final post in the peek into the park planning process blog post series! So far in this series we’ve covered how to pick a property, evaluate the assets, imagine a park vision, and come together to make decisions. Now it is time to cover how park plans are implemented. 

Something wonderful about the park planning process is that it is flexible and adaptable every step of the way. The flexibility and adaptability are driven by community input and involvement. Therefore, the implementation process will vary depending on the type of park the community envisions. For example, larger park installations and visions might require the use of contractors. Hiring contractors would require more budgeting and will take more time to implement, since CVPRD is a small parks and recreation district with limited resources. However, when keeping budget and timing in mind we can get creative with what can be done with volunteer work. 

Having lots of volunteers willing and able to be a part of the park implementation process would significantly cut costs. This part of the park planning process is also particularly exciting because we get to gather members of the community to identify individual skills and talents that feed into a collective strength. For example, some residents might have a green thumb and would be particularly helpful with planting new greenery and vegetation. Other residents might have skills regarding building and the implementation of equipment. Volunteering can be incredibly rewarding, not only do people feel an increase in self-esteem but there is a collective feeling of happiness that comes from accomplishing something as a community. 

There is still plenty of opportunity to imagine and implement bigger park plans. Bigger plans would just take longer to budget for and eventually implement. There will also likely be opportunities to volunteer within a larger park building process as well. The central theme in these blog posts has been community involvement. The best parks will come from what the community creates. CVPRD looks forward to involving the community every step of the way. 

Coming Together to Make Decisions –

Welcome to this week’s blog post! So far in this series we have covered how to pick a property, evaluate the assets, and imagine a park vision. Community involvement plays a critical role in all the steps of bringing parks to Columbia Valley… but what does community input and involvement look like for our community? In this post we will dive deeper into some possible ways CVPRD hopes to collaborate meaningfully with residents of Columbia Valley to bring the best outcomes possible.

One easy way to start gathering community input is through surveys. CVPRD has used google forms in the past to collect data from residents. Google forms is user-friendly, and the surveys are designed to be quick and easy. Surveys would be helpful to get an initial idea of what park elements people want to see. The more people who participate in the survey, the easier it will be for the commissioners to find trends and patterns in park requests. CVPRD wants to design parks that would be enjoyable for everybody. The more active resident participants the better the parks will turn out! However, we know that access to the internet can be a challenge and we want to do the best to accommodate all residents. 

The CVPRD looks forward to when we could hold regular in-person community meetings. However, the times right now are uncertain, and we must consider everyone’s safety. Luckily, the online world has become incredibly helpful in facilitating virtual meetings. As you may now, CVPRD holds two virtual meetings each month, which is a great place for community input and feedback. The Public Meetings page on our website has all the information on what days, times, and how to join. When it comes time to collaborate more on park decisions, it’s possible that we may hold additional online meetings which would be posted on the Home and Public Meetings pages. 

We are also looking into the possibility of holding socially distanced and masked outdoor meetings during better weather seasons. As sometimes we also find that it’s more comfortable to speak up and participate in-person rather than online. Announcements of these kinds of meetings will be posted on the website, on our Facebook page, and on flyers posted around town.  

There are many different modes and methods when it comes to community engagement. At the beginning there will be a lot of trial and error when it comes to the park planning process. The wonderful thing is that these are all learning experiences and over time we will be able to perfect the engagement and planning process for our community. We look forward to meeting with everyone in the future and collaborating to bring the best parks possible to Columbia Valley!

Imagining a Park Vision –

Welcome back to another peek into the park planning process. Last week we covered picking a property and evaluating the existing assets. This week we’ll dive into the next step – imagining a park vision.

There is a variety of different parks and equipment that CVPRD could bring to Columbia Valley. However, it is vital that we build parks that the community wants and needs. Park plans will vary depending on the property picked and the desires of the community. Once a property is picked, it’s up to us to collaborate with the community to determine what will change on the property. Will this park be more equipment intensive, or nature-based? 

Equipment intensive parks also vary in shapes and sizes. Members of the community could express the desire for children’s play equipment, or exercise equipment, or perhaps sports equipment? All three of these categories would play a different role in shaping the park plan. There are also different kinds of nature-based parks. There could be potential for paved paths, benches, or picnic tables. Or maybe members of the community would prefer a well-maintained nature park with no equipment whatsoever. Age groups are another category the community would want to consider. Do we want a park for children? Teens? Adults? Or maybe, a mix between several? That’s for everyone to decide and plan accordingly. The opportunities are endless, but community-based input is vital for a proper plan. 

Another thing to consider is budgeting and volunteering. Some equipment, such as a bike pump track, is more costly and it’s important to keep a budget in mind. However, with strategic prioritization, clear communication, and active participation these kinds of potential problems will either be resolved or compromised. There are many ways in which the community can volunteer their time to decrease the costs of park projects, which could in turn bring more desired assets to the future park. 

When it comes time for this step of the park planning process, CVPRD is looking into sending out surveys and hosting a meeting (either in person or online) to give everyone an opportunity to prioritize and collaborate. As always, everyone is always invited to the Park Planning Meetings that occur on the third Tuesday of every month at 5PM and regular meetings every 2nd Thursday at 5PM. You can visit our public meetings page at cv-prd.org to join. 

Check out the links below to learn more about different park amenities.

Neighborhood Parks

Pump track article

How to build a pump track 

Natural Park Design in action

More Natural Park Design

Seattle Parks with Multi-age Fitness Equipment

How to create a trail in a small area

Picking a Property and Evaluating Assets –

Welcome back to another blog post! Over the next few weeks, we will be breaking down the different pieces of the park planning process. From choosing a property, identifying existing features, imagining a vision, and implementing a plan. The entire process is built upon a foundation of community involvement and participation, because the best park is one that best suits and represents its users. In this blog post, we’ll cover the first step of the process – picking a property and taking inventory of its assets. 

Picking a Property

CVPRD is currently looking into available properties for a new park. When it comes to deciding on a property, we’ll need your help! It is our goal to design and implement a community park that will be useful, available, and usable by the community members. You may have a preference as to the location of the park, or a desire for certain park features. This is valuable input that the commissioners at CVPRD would love to hear! If several people are in favor of a park with a playground, or walking paths, or places for sports – that will influence the decision of which property to choose. CVPRD would love to have residents express their park preferences, and everyone is always invited to the Park Planning Meetings that occur on the third Tuesday of every month at 5PM and regular meetings every 2nd Thursday at 5PM. You can visit our public meetings page at cv-prd.org to join. 

Evaluating Assets

Once a property has been picked, the next part of the process is identifying the existing features. For example, there may be a lot of trees on the property. CVPRD will want to have the community help to decide if all the trees should stay, or if some excavating will be necessary. The same goes for other kinds of plants and greenery, it will be essential to collaborate and plan the foundation for the park. If there are any large rocks, we’ll need to agree on if they should stay or go. During this process, it will be helpful to do a site visit of the property and create a list of all it’s existing assets. Then, in a collaborative meeting or through a community wide survey go down the list and decide whether to keep each one. Together, we can transform underutilized properties into vibrant community parks for everyone! The more participation we have during the entire park planning process, the better the park will be suited for Columbia Valley’s residents. 

Welcome to this week’s blog post! So far, we’ve covered the different benefits of parks and shared some fond memories from community members. However, we want to make sure that we address and concerns and hesitations our community may have about bringing parks to Columbia Valley. One common concern is that the addition of parks may increase unwanted or undesirable activity. In this blog post, we aim to alleviate some of those concerns and explain how we can bring safe community parks to Columbia Valley for all residents. 

There are crucial elements of park design that influence safety and security of community parks. The CVPRD commissioners are dedicated to designing local parks that are not only inclusive for all residents, but also feel safe and comfortable. With this, community involvement is a key element to success. In future blog posts we’ll discuss more about the park planning process and how we hope more community members become involved. For now, let’s go over some of the park design basics that will create safe park environments. 

Lighting is usually one of the first elements that comes to mind when it comes to increasing safety, and for a good reason. Smart, methodically placed lighting can sincerely help increase safety in parks at night. The article “What Role can Design Play in Creating Safer Parks” (linked below) mentions a technique called hierarchy lighting. Hierarchy lighting is a technique that is used to place lighting effectively. Depending on the park layout and elements, lighting will be placed where it is most needed. For example, lighting should be placed around pedestrian walkways and other activity areas to encourage traffic flow. Alternatively, if there are particularly dark parts of the park, we would also want to place lighting there to discourage any unwanted activity and increase the sense of safety and comfort. A well-lit park at night will drastically decrease the chances of any undesirable activity.

Park layout, placement, and sight lines also play an important role in park safety. It’s important to have parks in areas that will have regular traffic, even if it’s just residents passing by car. Within this, clear sight lines into and out of the park are important. Those in the park should stay visually connected to those passing by the park. This greatly increases the number of “eyes on the street” and helps create a safe and inviting environment. Park layout should also be easy to understand and never confusing. We’ll want anyone to understand a clear layout of the park from every entrance. This will not only make the park seem less intimidating, but it will be more welcoming to residents. A park with clear sight lines, an easy-to-understand layout, and that has regular traffic will attract eager park goers. The more residents that are happily engaged in the park, the less likely undesired activity will occur. 

Finally, another key aspect of safe parks is regular maintenance. There have been several studies that show that a well-maintained and frequently visited park is a safer park for residents. Within all of this is community involvement, a safe park is one that the community cares about and uses regularly. 

There is plenty of research and articles out there that helps inform us on how to make smart park decisions for our residents. By working together, we can bring safe, inclusive, and exciting public parks to Columbia Valley. If you’d like to learn more about safety in parks, feel free to check out the links below. As always, we’d love to hear from you if any comments, concerns, or questions arise – you can email us at cvparksandrec@gmail.com and we’ll get back to you at our earliest convenience!

What Role can Design Play in Creating Safer Parks

Make Your Park Safer

Before Parks Go Bad: Safety Measures and Community Action Can Give Public Spaces A Makeover

How to Make Public Parks Safer