WOODLAND UPDATES SPRING LAKE PARKS MASTER PLANS
The city of Woodland released its updated Spring Lake Parks master plans this weekend, which includes plans for three existing parks — Jack Slaven, Rick Gonzales Sr. and Spring Lake parks — that will be completed in either 2022 or 2023.
Along with the updated plans, the city collected input on future amenities for the four to five-acre central park to inform a future master plan for it.
“In addition to the 1,000 plus responses to the bilingual survey and the well-attended August open house, the proposed master plans have been presented to the parks subcommittee and the parks commission, both opportunities for public input,” Spencer Bowen, communications manager for the city, said in an email. “Councilmember Mayra Vega has also been hosting a series of public ‘District 5 Community Roundtables’ to discuss this and other topics of interest to Spring Lake area residents.”
Bowen said that the city worked to include as many proposed amenities as possible within its fiscal means after considering survey results and community priorities.
“We’ve received largely positive responses to the master plans and the proposed mix of parks amenities,” Bowen emphasized.
Jack Slaven Park
Jack Slaven Park was built in 2010 and currently has a splash pad, play structures, a walking path, a restroom, a multi-use field and picnic areas. According to city staff, the updated plan proposes completing the remaining one acre with a dog exercise area, a half-basketball court, landscaping and walkways.
However, several people attending the August open house commented on the lack of amenities in the proposal for Jack Slaven Park, which at the time included a sports court and a native planting area.
“To address those concerns, we kept the sports court and moved the dog exercise area to Jack Slaven Park,” Bowen noted. “This adds another feature to the park and more centrally locates the dog exercise amenity, which enjoyed support from a wide range of residents.”
Bowen also explained that the park currently has less undeveloped acreage than Spring Lake Park and therefore has comparatively less space for proposed future amenities in this round of updates.
Rick Gonzalez Sr. Park
Rick Gonzalez Sr. Park — a 10-acre park built-in 2018 — has three remaining acres that are undeveloped. The master plan proposes constructing a tennis court and adding landscaping along the West and East sides of the park.
Existing amenities include a youth soccer field, play structures — one suited for 2-5-year-olds and another suited for 5-12-yearolds — a group picnic area, walking path, informal ball fields, fitness stations, nature play area and a restroom.
According to city staff, two of the remaining three acres are being considered a potential expansion of Spring Lake Elementary School.
Spring Lake Park
Spring Lake Park’s master plan proposes adding a youth soccer field, a sports court, a multi-use field, a play structure, a group picnic area, a walking path, an open lawn and restrooms. The eight-acre park was developed in 2018 and currently has six undeveloped acres.
Existing amenities include a multi-use field, a play structure for 2-5-yearolds, a nature play area and a small picnic area.
Central Park
The future Central Park — located on Parkland Avenue and Harry Lorenzo Avenue — is planned to be four to five acres. City staff received input on the desired amenities for the park and will use this to develop a draft master plan closer to the time the park is planned to be constructed, with additional public input solicited before finalizing the park’s master plan.
Bowen said public participation is still welcome and noted that the proposed master plans will be up for approval Tuesday, Oct. 19, during the upcoming city council meeting.
He also provided a timeline for the next steps in completing the parks.
• Project design: Winter 2021
• Project building: Spring 2022
• Construction: 2022construction season
• Park’s completion and opening: Spring 2023
“If approved by the council, then the city staff will move forward with the project design,” Bowen clarified. “The city looks forward to bringing these amenities to the Spring Lake community.”