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
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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.
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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.
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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
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Meridian Comprehensive Parks and Recreation System Plan 2003
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[Trails Plan]
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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.
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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.
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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
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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.
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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
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the sport fields and
expected amount of noise
and activity at the site.
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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.