By Anelia K. Dimitrova
It is often said that parks are the lungs of a city.
In Cedar Falls, there are 42 parks and 53 miles of bike trails that oxygenate and activate residents’ lifestyles in town today, according to a recent draft of a master plan called Your City, Your Parks.
Since 1853, when John Overman, one of the first settlers, gifted the land of what is now Overman Park to the city for public use, the town has been growing its park inventory and adjusting its offerings and services to the evolving recreational needs of the residents, most recently with the installation of pickleball courts at Orchard Hill.
“Cedar Falls boasts a robust parks and recreation system,” the report says.
Now citizens have an opportunity, until Aug. 18, to air their opinions about the plan and speak their needs and preferences by providing feedback to the master plan.
Amanda Huisman, the city’s communications specialist, hopes community members will engage in the master plan’s draft as actively as they did in the survey preceding it and offer feedback on issues they care about.
She said the current parks master plan dates to 1996, but much has changed in the intervening 29 years, hence the importance of getting a full, present-day snapshot of what Cedar Fallsians really want when it comes to parks.
“There’s a lot of things, like pickleball, for example, that got huge in the last few years in our community,” Huisman said. “Obviously, we didn’t account for that in 1996, so this is the perfect opportunity to survey the community, see what they want to see. So what we want to know from the community is what do you want in the next few years? ”
The final master plan, once voted on by the city council, will guide the city in allocating funding priorities for improvements for the next 20 years.
What’s in the master plan
The six-chapter plan draft is available for public review. It offers a comprehensive look at the park inventory. It lists the city’s accomplishments since 1996, including nine other documented plans that have guided or re-envisioned certain areas, such as the 2011 Northern Cedar Parks and Maintenance Plan; the 2022 Cedar Falls Resilience Plan and the 2022 Black Hawk County Water Trails Master Plan. Also discussed in the parks master plan are the Cedar Falls Rec Center, the Aquatic Center and the Cedar Falls Natatorium, which is nearing completion this fall. The two municipal golf courses, Pheasant Ridge and Walters Ridge; the recreational trails, flood buyout properties, and other assets are included in the plan.
The plan further reviews big ideas and lists suggestions for future considerations.
About 1,300 people responded to the survey that informs the plan crafted by HKGI, the Minnesota consulting firm the city hired to collect and analyze the data.
The draft was formally presented by Jody Rader, a landscape architect with HKGI, to the Planning and Zoning Commission during their July 9 meeting.
One of the important outcomes from the report is the creation of a park dedication/subdivision ordinance, which will allow for consistency and transparency of the process to inform developers what green spaces they are required to allocate when planning new subdivisions.
Feedback for the master plan was gathered at several community events, through the work of a steering committee and the city staff, also with the help of an interactive database with links for public comments, and most recently, a pop-up info booth at the Cedar Falls farmers market.
“Parks, recreation and open spaces play a significant and a key role in attracting and serving residents and visitors,” the plan reads.
A final draft will be adopted in September, Rader told the commission, and public hearings will be held in the fall.
HKGI landscape architect presents report highlights to P & Z Commission
The report says there are four types of parks in town – community parks, like Big Woods Recreation Area; neighborhood parks, like Bess Streeter Park, mini parks like Pettersen Plaza, and specialty or single-use parks, like the Cedar Falls Skate Park.
Rader said that in comparison to similarly sized cities state- and nation-wide, Cedar Falls ranks above average or “far better” in several categories, such as the number of parks per 10,000 residents, park acreage and other markers.
She noted that “there is a deficit” in inclusive playgrounds, dog parks and also multiuse grass fields for playing soccer or rugby.
One of the goals is to have a park within a half mile of every residence, she said. The report identified some gaps in park availability in existing neighborhoods.
Rader also noted that many of the playgrounds need the city’s attention.
“In short, almost all of your playgrounds need to be replaced and they probably needed to be replaced a few years ago,” Rader said.
The council review of the Parks Master Plan is scheduled for Sept. 15.
On Thursday, Aug. 14, during a meeting of the Parks and Recreation Commission, Roger White, a member of the Steering Committee, read a brief statement on behalf of the Bicycle and Pedestrian Commission, endorsing the plan.
“We are supportive of more emphasis on walking, and in particular, measures that encourage a higher number and percentage of people and children accessing a park by foot (currently, 7%) versus other modes of transportation. We as a commission commit to supporting the completion of the recreational trail network, prioritizing safe routes to parks for children, and overall walkability in the community as a whole.”