INDIANOLA — Kitsap County Facilities, Parks & Recreation is making sure the North Kitsap Heritage Park is not developed without embracing the concerns and desires of those who will be using it — the residents.

In accord with such ideals, the county will be holding a public workshop from 7-9 p.m. March 16 at the Indianola Clubhouse. Residents will be able to see the draft plans for the 450-acre park, based on previous public input, site constraint research, field analysis and regional park and recreation needs as identified through the county’s recent parks and open space planning process.

The workshop’s format will consist of a presentation of the plans followed by discussion and “hopefully, a lot of interaction with a lot of the people there,” said county parks planner Joseph Coppo.

Primarily, he wants residents help the county answer the question, “Are we on the right path?”

The Berger Partnership, a Seattle-based team of landscape architects and urban planners hired by the county to develop the park’s master plan, has drafted the two conceptual designs.

The ideas presented will consist of different options, such as looking at creating athletic fields where there are good sandy soils for soccer, baseball, lacrosse and other types of sports, Coppo said.

“We’re looking at high quality AstroTurf, artificial turf, that can be used for year-round use and be appropriate for tournament settings,” he added.

While brainstorming with residents on the types of facilities that will be developed, the county has been doing its research to better understand the lay of the land and how to work with it.

The environmental constraints the county has come across are not surprising, Coppo said, noting that part of the property is the drainage for the headwaters for Grover’s Creek.

“Just the typical type of issues you find in Kitsap,” he said. “Nothing unusual — just the usual slope and wetland issues.”

The information gathered from the meeting March 16 will be used to create a preferred site design that will be presented at a later public meeting.