Basin Recreation Director Dana Jones says the10-year strategic plan is just one of three plans in the works.
“And that is for our entire district,” Jones said. “So, it's not just looking at one area, but looking at where we need to be in 10 years - where the direction needs to go. As there's turnover, we don't want to just keep pivoting every few years. We want to have a goal and be heading toward it. And we want the public to have weighed in on that.”
The recreation district is also finishing up its 5-year trails and open space plan and is looking at what makes sense for the 100 acres the district owns in Silver Creek Village. Jones says there’s been a lot of ideas presented. At the top of the list are indoor facilities.
“I think this winter really kind of showed us that the fieldhouse is the only full-sized indoor field that people have access to," Jones said. "We're also hearing that we need more outdoor fields and fields that we can utilize for longer. Either fields that are lighted, so that the playing time can be extended on either end, you know, earlier in the morning or later at night fields. Potentially, they've been talking about some kind of a dome or a bubble, if we can dome a field and use it longer.”
Jones says the feedback also includes a desire for a family-centered aquatic facility with slides or a lazy river and more lap lanes.
Other suggestions include a child care area so parents can drop off children before they work out. More pickleball courts and a climbing facility are also being considered.
Add it all up and the costs are staggering.
“We're definitely going to need to go out for a bond, because, for a full build out of all these facilities, we're talking about, could be somewhere between possibly $50 to $80 million," she said.
Jones says the district will send a survey to registered voters within the recreation district boundaries.
“Because those are the people that will be voting on a bond,” she said. “We kind of know now what, what you want. Now, we need to know what you're willing to pay for. So that survey is going to go out to the registered voters and ask questions, like these are the things we're hearing, these are the potential costs – what are your feelings about these things? Is this something that you would support? Our tentative plan at this point is to go out for a bond for the vote in November of 2024.”
Jones says the district will be wrapping up the three plans by the end of the year, so it will have some idea what direction to take.
