Iola has much to be proud of with its parks, a group of Vision Iola participants agreed Thursday.
But across-the-board improvements are possible, particularly with the city’s smaller parks, some of which are rarely used.
“If you have the parks space, we want to see it used,” said Carisa McMullen of Landworks Studio.
Landworks is working as a consultant for the city and Thrive Allen County during the Vision Iola process, which is shifting its gears to better developing Iola’s parks and trails, including sidewalks.
Thursday’s meeting was in the large stone shelter house at Riverside Park.
While attendance at the meeting was down — organizers acknowledged several other activities were taking place Thursday — more than 120 preliminary surveys on the city’s parks already have been submitted to the visioniola.com Web site, McMullen said.
Another survey, developed from Thursday’s brainstorming sessions, will be available within the next two weeks.
McMullen and Holly Powers, an engineering technician with Landworks, provided a detailed list of Iola’s eight — yes, eight — parks.
Most everyone knows of Riverside Park, considered a regional park because it draws visitors from outside Iola’s city limits with its swimming pool, athletic fields and other venues.
Just as likely, most Iolans area aware of Meadowbrook Park, considered a community park, and Cofachique, dubbed a linear park because of its affiliation with the Prairie Spirit Trail.
The other five parks generate much less usage, including what are described as neighborhood parks, Walnut and East Iola parks, which contain a few pieces of outdated playground equipment, and pocket or special purpose parks on the north and east sides of the courthouse square.
The report also included a playground area just recently built near the River Valley Homes complex in Iola’s Cedarbrook Addition. That, too, is considered a neighborhood park.
Regardless of how they’re described, Iola does not have enough park space, if the city uses standards promoted by the National Recreation and Park Association.
For example, the neighborhood parks in East Iola, Walnut Street and Cedarbrook Addition combined make up only a little more than an acre. For a town Iola’s size, NRPA recommends about 10 acres of neighborhood park area.
Meadowbrook Park, at just less than seven acres, is less than one-fifth the size of community parks promoted by NRPA.
Riverside Park, meanwhile, at a shade under 80 acres, is just less than what is promoted by NRPA, and that’s not including the empty area in Davis Addition that will soon be converted to soccer fields.
“You’re in good shape there,” McMullen said.
McMullen acknowledged that the NRPA figures are subjective.
The National Recreation and Park Association is a national non-profit group and is an advocacy organization dedicated to the advancement of public parks and recreation opportunities. The group’s mission is to educate professionals and the public on the essential nature of parks and recreation.
Powers noted that most of the playground equipment in Iola’s parks likely would not pass safety inspections.
Just as badly, old pieces of playground equipment previously deemed unsafe and removed “often was the fun stuff,” noted David Toland, executive director of Thrive Allen County.
WHY IS improving the city’s parks important?
When a resident or potential business owner is looking to relocate, one of their top priorities is finding a town with a vital parks and trails system, Powers said.
Likewise, getting folks outside, young and old, to play or be active is increasingly important when fighting obesity and related illnesses such as diabetes and hypertension.
Better trails and sidewalks would get more people walking as well, either to school or work, which in turn helps the environment.
“Even if you’re talking about a school with 70 kids, when you have all of those cars stop by at the end of the school day, that’s a lot of car exhaust in the air,” Powers said.
The visioniola.com survey noted that parents are reluctant to have their children walk to school because of distance or safety concerns. Better trails and sidewalks could alleviate some of those concerns.
THE MEETING’S focus then shifted on ideas for better parks, including what to do with hundreds of now empty lots vacated because of the 2007 flood.
Toland said Iolans have entered the Thrive office to inquire about an arboretum, a disc golf course and public restroom facilities in the downtown business district.
Ray Shannon noted that a group of more than 100 expressed an interest last fall in developing a dog park on South Washington Avenue. Those plans were put on hold for the Vision Iola process to begin.
Jeff Bauer, Iola’s code enforcement officer, said the city could develop camping areas with fire rings for local Boy Scout and Girl Scout troops to use. Up to now, Scouts frequently head out of town for such endeavors.
And for a city filled with outdoor enthusiasts, Iola is sorely lacking in places to fish. Powers noted that paddlefish snagging, which is now available near Iola, draws hundreds of fishermen to Chetopa each spring. However, lack of access to the Neosho makes it difficult to draw crowds here.
Toland noted that while Riverside Park is just yards from the Neosho River banks, the park’s dikes and steep bluffs to the water’s edge make the river an afterthought.
Accessing the Neosho or Elm Creek usually means trespassing on private property.
Extending the Prairie Spirit Trail to, and even around, Riverside Park also was discussed, as were amenities for tennis, a spray park and potential winter activities, such as a skating rink.
Toland also noted that many residents along the city’s east city limits have no easy access to a park unless they get in a car.
And while playground equipment is expensive, Iola’s parks could be improved without breaking the bank.
“We have a lot of ideas, but they aren’t necessarily big-ticket ideas,” Toland said. “These aren’t ‘pie in the sky’ ideas. The question is if we have the will.”
McMullen said she was pleased with the 127 Iolans who have completed online surveys regarding the city’s parks. She hopes to see those with a keen interest sign up to participate in the rest of the parks discussions.
A second parks survey should be available at visioniola.com within the next two weeks. The group will meet again May 27.
