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Chapter 3 action plan updatedCHAPTER 3 FACILITY RECOMMENDATIONS Chapter 3 - Facility Recommendations Page 3-1 CHAPTER 3 - FACILITY RECOMMENDATIONS Contents:  Introduction  Pathway and Trails  Community Center  Sport Fields  Specialized Recreational Facilities 3.1 INTRODUCTION 3.2 PATHWAYS AND TRAILS A. Existing Inventory: This section of the Action Plan discusses recommendations for specific recreational facilities. These recommendations are divided into the following categories: Pathways and Trails 3-1 Community Center 3-6 Sport Fields 3-7 Specialized Recreational Facilities 3-9 Definition: Pathways and Trails are designed to provide walking, bicycling and other non-motorized recreational opportunities. By providing linkages to other areas and facilities, they can provide non- vehicular options for travel throughout the community. Trails can be designed for single or multiple types of users. The pathways and trails emphasized here are those that are recreational and multiple use in nature. Bike routes with more emphasis on transportation are not included in this definition. Pathways and trails may be either unsurfaced or treated with a variety of hard surfacing materials including concrete or asphalt. Unsurfaced trails may be left in their natural condition or supplemented with gravel, bark chips, sand, or other material. Surfacing will be dependent on the soil type, type of use, and amount of use. 1. Existing Conditions: Excluding pathways in existing parks, there are two off-street pathways in Meridian. They include: Fothergil Pathway 1.00 acre Five Mile Creek Path 2.12 acres Blackstone Pathway 1.50 acres Meridian Comprehensive Parks and Recreation System Plan 2003 Chapter 3 - Facility Recommendations Page 3-2 Meridian Comprehensive Parks and Recreation System Plan 2003 Chapter 3 - Facility Recommendations Page 3-3 B. Design and Development Policies: 1. General Land Use Guidelines: a. The following rationale and guidelines, site selection criteria, and development standards apply to pathways and trails that are recreational in nature. Policies related to pathways that are primarily transportation oriented are not covered here. b. Trails designated in the Trails Plan found in the Comprehensive Parks and Recreation System Plan shall be defined as the “Trail Network”. All policies listed below apply to this network. c. Trails that follow along canals, stream corridors and drainage ways provide natural linkages from urban development to recreational areas. Trails located parallel to these amenities provide connections with natural areas that are desired by citizens. In addition, trails in these locations minimize the loss of land for development at urban densities compared to situations where trails might need to bisect developable lands. d. Stream and canal corridors provide essential ecological functions that need protection from the impacts of development and human activity as these streams travel through urban areas. e. Trails should be planned, sized, designed, and located to minimize their impacts on stream or canal corridors and to minimize the impacts of unplanned access in and near these waterways. Where adequate land is available, multi-purpose trails running parallel to the waterway should generally be sited at least eighteen feet from the top of bank, or meet Nampa Meridian Irrigation District Requirements. f. The City will only accept trail segments that are part of the proposed Trail Network and shown on the Trails Plan. Trail segments outside the Trail Plan will be considered on a case by case basis. g. Developers should be encouraged to provide and build pathways and trails within their proposed developments to link with the City’s overall trail system. h. Trail easements, dedications, and development need to occur prior to or at the time of development. i. The Parks and Recreation Department should assume responsibility for pathway and shoulder maintenance only. Adjoining property owners and/or homeowners association should assume landscape maintenance of the remaining areas. Meridian Comprehensive Parks and Recreation System Plan 2003 Chapter 3 - Facility Recommendations Page 3-4 j. The city should be sensitive to private owners when trails are proposed adjacent to private property. 2. Site Selection Criteria: a. The primary purpose of recreation trails is to provide a recreation experience. Transportation to other parts of the community should be a secondary objective. Wherever feasible, recreation pathways and trails should be located off-street. However, streets can be used in order to complete the connection, whenever needed. b. Trails should be located and designed to provide a diversity of challenges. Wherever possible, trails should encourage accessibility, particularly within loop or destination opportunities. c. Trails should be developed throughout the community to provide linkages to schools, parks, and other destination points. Each proposed trail should be reviewed on a case by case basis to determine if it should be part of the city's trail network. 3. Design and Development Standards: a. Two basic types of trails are proposed: Off-street Multi- Purpose Trails and Off-street Hiking Trails. See item “e” on the next page for design standards for each. b. Trail alignments should take into account soil conditions, slopes, surface drainage, and other physical limitations that could increase construction and/or maintenance costs. Generally, the pathway should be two to three inches higher than the existing grade. c. Trails should be planned, sized, and designed for multiple uses, except for dedicated nature trails, and/or areas that cannot be developed to the standard necessary to minimize potential user conflicts. Additionally, the pathway sub-base materials shall include a minimum of twelve inches of pit run gravel, six inches of road mix compacted to 95 percent and two inches of asphalt paving surface. Recommended shoulder material should be a six inch deep road mix, six feet wide. d. Centralized and effective staging areas should be provided for trail access. They should include parking, orientation and information, and any necessary specialized unloading features. Primary trailheads should have restrooms and trash receptacles; secondary trailheads might only have some parking and signage. Meridian Comprehensive Parks and Recreation System Plan 2003 Chapter 3 - Facility Recommendations Page 3-5 C. Recommendations: Table 3.1 Summary of Trail Widths and Clearances Meridian Planning Area e. Trail widths and clearances: Minimum Standard Off-Street Multi- Purpose Trail Off-Street Hiking Trail Surfacing Paved Paved/Unpaved Surface Width 10 feet 6 feet Minimum Recommended Width 30 – 35 feet 25 feet Vertical Clearance 10 feet 10 feet Shoulder Width 6 feet 6 feet Appropriate Use Walking, bicycling, in-line skating Hiking In this plan, Recreational Pathways and Trails are emphasized. The primary purpose of this trails system is to provide recreational walking, bicycling, and hiking opportunities. These same trails may also meet some transportation needs as well. The trails plan identifies the primary trails within the community and is called the “Trail Network”. It is the Network the City will be responsible for developing and maintaining. In addition, it will be important to also create a secondary trail system that connects to the Network. It will be up to the development community to develop and maintain this system. These trails should be located to minimize the number of street crossings, limit crossings at street intersections and provide direct access to the City’s Trail Network. Table 3.2 Summary of Trail Recommendations Meridian Planning Area Trail Number Trail Length (in Miles) Type T-1 Meridian Loop 12.65 Multi-Purpose Trail T-2 Bear Creek Connection 1.06 Hiking Trail T-3 Ridenbaugh Trail 11.34 Hiking Trail T-4 Five Mile Creek Trail 7.75 Multi-Purpose Trail T-5 Nine Mile Drain Trail 2.50 Hiking Trail T-6 Ten Mile Creek Trail 7.57 Multi-Purpose Trail T-7 Settlers Creek Trail 3.49 Hiking Trail T-8 South Slough Trail 3.93 Hiking Trail Total 50.29 Meridian Comprehensive Parks and Recreation System Plan 2003 Chapter 3 - Facility Recommendations Page 3-6 Meridian Comprehensive Parks and Recreation System Plan 2003 Chapter 3 - Facility Recommendations Page 3-7 [Trails Plan] Meridian Comprehensive Parks and Recreation System Plan 2003 Chapter 3 - Facility Recommendations Page 3-8 3.3 COMMUNITY CENTER Input from the City staff, the Parks and Recreation Commission and from the earlier Parks and Recreation Plan Study, revealed interest and need for a community center to conduct recreation classes, meet the need for meetings, and large group gatherings. They revealed an interest for need of an indoor facility. There was also some interest for the City to provide its own indoor swimming pool and an ice rink. More and more Northwest communities are building recreation centers because of the long winters and need to provide community center activities during this period. Nampa recently constructed a major facility that provides a very wide range of facilities, including aquatics. If designed correctly, recreation centers can offer a wide variety of community and youth activities at a reasonable cost. To help offset the operating costs, some recreation centers also provide event space as well as areas for recreation. This includes rooms for receptions, meetings, large group gatherings and trade shows. Meridian is quickly growing to the point where the population base may be large enough to support a community center. Some potential spaces that could be located in a facility include:  Multi-purpose gymnasium (2 courts)  Space for teen and senior activities  Multi-purpose reception room  Large and small meeting rooms  Climbing wall  Exercise and weight training room  Running/walking track  Support facilities It may also be feasible to provide some indoor swimming and children’s water playground facilities as well. Due to the cost to build and maintain this type of facility, the project should be preceded by a feasibility study to identify the specific need, develop a design program and forecast the cost to build and maintain. Meridian Comprehensive Parks and Recreation System Plan 2003 Chapter 3 - Facility Recommendations Page 3-9 3.4 SPORTS FIELDS A. Recommendations: Field sports are an important recreation activity in Meridian. At the current time field sports are managed as follows: Adult Softball  Managed by the City  Current Supply: 3 fields  Current Need: 5 fields Youth Baseball  Managed by PAL, Meridian Little League Association  Current Supply: 5 fields  Current Need: 19 fields Youth Soccer  Managed by PAL, Capitol Youth Soccer Association  Current Supply: No fields (1)  Current Need: 8 fields The above needs are based on normal amounts of league play and practice and reflect demand standards developed from cities throughout the Northwest. 1. Sports Council: As the City grows and more teams are formed, the City should take on a leadership role in overseeing how the various fields are used. To manage such a program and assure that all sports are equally represented, a sports council should be formed representing the City, the School District and the various sport groups. Some of the policies and responsibilities this sports council should address include:  Establish the amount of practice time and games permitted per team per week.  Establish policies to protect fields from overuse.  Establish minimum design standards for game and practice fields.  Turn field scheduling in the City (City and school fields) over to a “scheduling czar” or a sports council.  The City should be responsible for building the number of fields based on its population base only. Each City in the region should assume its own responsibility of meeting a share of field needs.  The City should charge a minimum fee for field maintenance. Increase the fee schedule for non-resident teams or mixed resident teams. (1) Excludes temporary sod farm fields that are used for some PAL soccer programs. Meridian Comprehensive Parks and Recreation System Plan 2003 Chapter 3 - Facility Recommendations Page 3-10 2. Field Scheduling: One of the primary reasons for field shortage is improper field scheduling. Often it is left to sport representatives who want as much field time as they can get and with school principals who do not understand how much time is actually needed. To balance need with actual amount of time needed, it is recommended that a scheduling committee be formed made up of a School District Representative, a representative from the City Parks and Recreation Department and one representative each from youth soccer, baseball and adult softball. Working as a group they should set up the field schedules for the entire year. 3. Field Priority: As more sport fields are developed, it will become difficult for the City to keep up with field maintenance. Recognizing this, it is recommended that fields be developed and maintained according to an expected level and type of use. This is called a “tiered field system” and is utilized as follows: Level 1 Practice Fields: Locate these fields on school playgrounds and some future Community Parks: Their quality of development will be lower than the level two and three fields and include the following design standards:  Backstops only for baseball fields  Open grass areas for soccer fields  Soccer fields may overlay other fields Level 2 Game Fields: These are fields used for league play and some limited practice. They will be located in future Community Parks. Their quality of development should be higher than the Level 1 fields and meet the following design standards:  Backstops and outfield fencing for most baseball fields  Multi-use fields for baseball and softball  Open grass areas for soccer  Most fields constructed in clusters  Because of their location within neighborhoods, most fields will not be lighted  Restrooms will be provided within the Community Park but most likely not within the complex of fields Meridian Comprehensive Parks and Recreation System Plan 2003 Chapter 3 - Facility Recommendations Page 3-11 3.5 SPECIALIZED RECREATIONAL FACILITIES Level 3 Tournament Fields: These are fields used for tournament play and limited league play. Practice will not be permitted on these fields. It is recommended that the fields at the proposed Meridian Settler’s Park (LU-4) be used for this purpose. The quality of this complex should be high and meet the following design standards:  Backstops, foul line and outfield fencing required for all baseball and softball fields  Field lighting  Dedicated fields for soccer, baseball, and softball  Support facilities such as restrooms, concessions, etc. The following are recommendations for Special Use Recreational Facilities. SKATE PARK AREA In-line skating and in-line hockey have become popular activities as well as a competitive sport. By giving the youth a place to play rather than using the streets or other public places, it relieves conflicts with the general public. The difficulty is finding a place that will have local neighborhood acceptance and one that is easy for the youth to reach. A skate park should offer a wide range of youth activities and is highly visible with a good facility design that contains:  In-line skate area with jumps and ramps  Possible half pipe  In-line hockey rink  A small shelter building  Nearby restroom building In an effort to geographically balance skate facilities within the community, it is recommended that two sites be located. The suggested sites are:  Tully Park (Site C-7) - The Tully Skate Park was completed in November, 2002.  Undesignated site south of the Freeway. GROUP PICNIC AREA Currently, Meridian does not have any facilities that easily accommodate large groups. Aside from meeting the need for large groups, these types of facilities can also generate revenue to help offset the park maintenance cost. Meridian Comprehensive Parks and Recreation System Plan 2003 Chapter 3 - Facility Recommendations Page 3-12 A group picnic area usually requires a large site in order for the group area to be separated from the rest of the park. In addition, support facilities and a sport field is also desirable. While any Community Park will do, two suggested sites are C-21 and LU-4. A group picnic area should contain one to two large shelter buildings equipped with barbecues and an outdoor patio area. In order to insure some privacy, this area should be somewhat separated from the other parts of the park by trees and landscaping. ADVENTURE PLAYGROUND Most of the children’s playgrounds in Meridian are some- what basic and designed to meet the local neighborhood needs. It is recommended a major playground be developed in one of the future parks that contains a wide variety of children’s play facilities and have all access and abilities. It should be unique enough to warrant a drive across town to visit and hold a child’s attention for several hours. Adventure Land Playground is designated to be built in Settler’s Park. Construction will start in 2003 and be complete in 2006. OUTDOOR WATER PLAYGROUND A very popular, new type of outdoor water feature is an outdoor water playground. The size can vary considerably but usually contains water fountains, a small splash pool and sometimes a water slide. Depending on their size they can be managed either with guards, and charged a fee to use, or not managed and visited like any other children’s playground. The City could either develop one large facility and locate it near the center of the City or develop two smaller ones at either end of the City. Constructing one large one is more efficient to operate but not as convenient to City residents. OUTDOOR RECEPTION AREA A facility not found in Meridian is a place for outdoor wedding receptions and other large group gatherings. This kind of space should be in high demand in Meridian and can also be a source of revenue through its rentals. Often they are developed in conjunction with a floral garden. Almost any of the proposed Community Parks would fit this need except for Meridian Settler’s Park (LU-4) because of Meridian Comprehensive Parks and Recreation System Plan 2003 Chapter 3 - Facility Recommendations Page 3-13 the sport fields and expected amount of noise and activity at the site. Meridian Comprehensive Parks and Recreation System Plan 2003 Chapter 3 - Facility Recommendations Page 3-14 INDOOR ICE RINK Ice skating has become more popular in the northwest during the last five years. If designed and programmed correctly, this type of facility can provide a major recreation opportunity at little cost to the City. As an option, the City should consider adding an ice skating element to the proposed community center.