The capacity crowd that filled the Kitsap County commissioners’ chambers on Thursday night was already enthusiastic enough about improvements to the South Kitsap Park.
Then Kitsap County Parks and Recreation Department Director Chip Faver whipped them into a frenzy with a call-and-response presentation to top off an evening that was meant to solicit public input about what should and should not be a part of the 221-acre facility.
“It was definitely a suc-cess,” Parks Project Coordinator Martha Droge said of the meeting. “We’re beginning to test out what the land can accommodate, and how to incorporate the desired activities. The information assembled empowered the consultant team to create the alternatives and scenarios that will help us to create a successful park.”
After an introduction by the project’s landscape architects, those present split into 10 randomly selected groups to discuss what each wanted to see in the park.
Each group provided a list of specific priorities, then placed features onto the map using labeled tabs backed with velcro.
Each group prepared two versions — an unrestrained map based on preference and one that took the land’s restrictions into consideration.
The recommendations, which were written on poster paper, are to be gathered and analyzed in the weeks ahead.
Droge said the most universal desire was that the park accommodate everyone — that it contain appropriate activities for every age group.
Some groups kept costs in the forefront, working toward an “enlightened frugality,” while others acknowledged they were shooting for the moon and ignoring expense in their planning process.
If costs were set aside in some discussions, all facilities will be constructed in line with what the current park staff can comfortably maintain.
For instance, building a fountain resembling that on the Bremerton Harborside would be out of the question due to cost and maintenance procedures.
Droge said there was overwhelming support for a community center, a structure that would draw people to the park who are not involved in athletic activity. This may be as simple as a small pavilion for public meetings, or as involved as an educational center that studies various stormwater alternatives.
Thursday’s meeting was the third in a series of six meetings prior to construction.
Information gathered will be incorporated into a presentation of three specific options, scheduled for July 16, while a Sept. 17 meeting incorporating all previous suggestions will be unveiled.
Both scheduled workshops follow scheduled meetings of the Parks Advisory Board.
The final plan will be presented at a currently unscheduled meeting.
After approval and refinement by the Parks Advisory Board, the final plan will be sent to the county commissioners.
The final plan is expected to be approved by the end of 2008, at which point projects will be prioritized.
Detailed planning will then begin for those areas, with construction beginning in 2009.
At the end of the meeting, Faver again put on his evangelist hat, extracting promises from those present to attend the next workshop.
Even so, those with ideas and preferences need not attend the meetings to make their opinions known, and can call (877) 292-6412, send an e-mail (skpark@co.kitsap.wa.us) or visit the www.skpark.org Web site.
