City of Ellensburg CITY OF ELLENSBURG PARKS & RECREATION SYSTEM COMPREHENSIVE PLAN UPDATE 2016 INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK Page 1 City of Ellensburg Parks & Recreation System Comprehensive Plan Update 2016 City of Ellensburg PARKS & RECREATION SYSTEM COMPREHENSIVE PLAN UPDATE 2016 Page 2 City of Ellensburg Parks & Recreation System Comprehensive Plan Update 2016 INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK Page 3 City of Ellensburg Parks & Recreation System Comprehensive Plan Update 2016 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Mayor Rich Elliott City Manager John Akers City Council Jill Scheffer1 Chris Herion Nancy Lillquist David Miller Mary Morgan Bruce Tabb Parks and Recreation Department Brad Case, Director Jodi Hoctor, Supervisor Aquatic and Recreation Diane Starkweather, Department Secretary Dennis Roberts, Coordinator Ellensburg Racquet & Recreation Center (ERRC) Katrina Douglas, Coordinator Adult Activity Center of Ellensburg (AAC) David Hurn Coordinator Youth Programs & Stan Bassett Youth Center (SBYC) Doug Demory, Parks Forman Parks and Recreation Commission Members Joe Sheeran-Chair…………. Term expires: May 31, 2017 Phyllis (PJ) MacPhaiden… Term expires May 31, 2017 Dolores Gonzalez…………. Term expires: May 31, 2018 Jack Frost…………………….. Term expires: May 31, 2018 Michael Burdick………….. Term expires: May 31, 2018 Karen Johnson………….. Term expires: May 31, 2016 Dan Witkowski…………… Term expires May 31, 2016 Prepared by: Arvilla Ohlde/AjO Consulting Robert W. Droll, Landscape Architect, P.S. MIG Inc. Jonathan Pheanis Project Manager 1 Currently serves as City Council Liaison to the Parks and Recreation Commission Page 4 City of Ellensburg Parks & Recreation System Comprehensive Plan Update 2016 INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK Page 5 City of Ellensburg Parks & Recreation System Comprehensive Plan Update 2016 PREFACE It with great pleasure that we present to you the City of Ellensburg Park, Recreation, and Open Space Plan. Since the adoption of our last plan in 2006, the department has seen a lot of change. Our programming has increased significantly as well as our park system. In fact, we have added over 50 acres of developed park inventory since our last plan. The purpose of this plan is to provide City Council, as well as City staff, a roadmap for how our public views and wants to see our park system and programs grow. We use the information in this plan to prioritize projects, secure grant funding, and determine how we can operationally meet the needs of our community. This process took over 12 months to complete and it wouldn’t have been possible without the valuable input from our community. So, on behalf the of the City of Ellensburg I would like to personally thank you, the community, for the information you provided throughout this process and that as a department we will continue to do our best to meet the recreation needs of Ellensburg. Brad Case City of Ellensburg Parks & Recreation Director Page 6 City of Ellensburg Parks & Recreation System Comprehensive Plan Update 2016 INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK Page 7 City of Ellensburg Parks & Recreation System Comprehensive Plan Update 2016 RCO Self Certification Will be supplied by Consultant Page 8 City of Ellensburg Parks & Recreation System Comprehensive Plan Update 2016 Page 9 City of Ellensburg Parks & Recreation System Comprehensive Plan Update 2016 INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK Page 10 City of Ellensburg Parks & Recreation System Comprehensive Plan Update 2016 INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK Page 11 City of Ellensburg Parks & Recreation System Comprehensive Plan Update 2016 Page 12 City of Ellensburg Parks & Recreation System Comprehensive Plan Update 2016 INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK Page 13 City of Ellensburg Parks & Recreation System Comprehensive Plan Update 2016 TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter 1 Introduction & Community Profile Map 1.1 Ellensburg Park Map Chapter 2 Goals & Objectives Chapter 3 Parks, Facilities, and Programs Inventory 1. Map 3.1 Pocket Parks 2. Map 3.2 Neighborhood Parks 3. Map 3.3 Community Parks Chapter 4 Community Demand & Needs Assessment/Action Plan Chapter 5 Funding/Capital Improvement Plan Appendix A Park and Facility Descriptions Appendix B Master Plans 1. Kiwanis Park 2. Veterans Memorial Park 3. Mt. View Park 4. Reed Park 5. Irene Rinehart Riverfront Park Appendix C Public Involvement C-1. 2015 Community Questionnaire C-2. 2015 Input to the Comprehensive Park & Recreation System Plan C-3. 2013 Community Center Survey Page 14 City of Ellensburg Parks & Recreation System Comprehensive Plan Update 2016 I NTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK Page 15 City of Ellensburg Parks & Recreation System Comprehensive Plan Update 2016 MAP 1.1 Page 16 City of Ellensburg Parks & Recreation System Comprehensive Plan Update 2016 INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK Page 17 City of Ellensburg Parks & Recreation System Comprehensive Plan Update 2016 Chapter 1 INTRODUCTION & COMMUNITY PROFILE Page 18 City of Ellensburg Parks & Recreation System Comprehensive Plan Update 2016 INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK Page 19 City of Ellensburg Parks & Recreation System Comprehensive Plan Update 2016 CHAPTER 1 Introduction & Community Profile The City of Ellensburg Park, Recreation and System Plan (PRSP) establishes a process that provides guidance on the management and development of Ellensburg’s recreation services, parklands, trails and open space. It also serves to unite the system into a coordinated network that reflects the needs and recommended priorities for the benefits for both the city residents and visitors over the next 15-20 years. Guidelines for prescribed land use planning for select cities were established by the Washington State Legislature through the adoption of the Growth Management Act (GMA) in 1991. The plan is an important tool for meeting the GMA requirements as well as for achieving the important goals in the Citywide Comprehensive Plan and Capital Improvement Program (CIP). This includes the goal of directly addressing the following: Open Space & Recreation: “Retain open space, enhance recreational opportunities, conserve fish and wildlife habitat, increase access to natural resource lands and water and develop parks and recreation facilities.” RCW 36.70A.020. This plan builds and draws from existing and previous work done by the City of Ellensburg That work includes the following: . 2013, 2014 & 2015-2016 Final Adopted City of Ellensburg Budgets . Regional Shoreline Master Plan Update approved December 2, 2014 . 2008 City of Ellensburg Non-motorized Transportation Plan updated 2010 . City of Ellensburg Parks, Recreation and Open space Plan August 2002 and the update to the Rotary Park master plan in 2012. 2013 Community Center Survey (attached: Appendix C-3) On January 20, 2015, the City of Ellensburg and Kittitas County approved a draft Interlocal Agreement (ILA)2 which is subject to change regarding a coordinated joint planning and establishing a process to review mitigation of impacts to “parks” from development projects within the (Urban Growth Area UGA). The PRSP Plan is on a six-year cycle and is in alignment with the requirements of the Washington State Recreation and Conservation Office (RCO) to maintain eligibility for state and federal grant programs. Matching grants through the RCO and under the Washington Wildlife & Recreation program (WWRP), contain categories for local park projects, conservation, open space lands and trails. Other categories for funding through the RCO include funding for boating facilities and trails. The Federal funding administered by the RCO under the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) is also available through Congress if they approve reauthorization or move to create a common-sense bill to modernize the Land 2 The City and County Interlocal agreement regarding the collection of impact fees within the UGA is in draft only and is subject to change prior to acceptance of the ILA by both entities. Page 20 City of Ellensburg Parks & Recreation System Comprehensive Plan Update 2016 and Water Conservation Fund to better serve the needs of the state, counties, and cities to ensure greater recreational opportunities for the public.3 Public input is required by the RCO as part of the planning process. The City Council of Ellensburg appoints the Park and Recreation Commission, who in turn work with the staff throughout the update process. The community is included in regular Park and Recreation Commission meetings as the Plan moves to the Ellensburg City Council for adoption. City Profile The City of Ellensburg is in the center of Washington State in Kittitas County. Ellensburg is the county seat and its population is 18,810. Ellensburg is located at the junction of Interstate 82 and Interstate 90. The Cascade Mountains to the west block most of the rain from the Puget Sound area. This results in a dry, mild climate with less than 10 inches of precipitation per year. The City’s terrain is generally flat with an elevation between 1,500 and 1,580 feet above sea level. Due to the climate, the Kittitas Valley is internationally known for its timothy-hay production. One of the first settlers to the area, William Bud Wilson, is claimed to have built the first log cabin in the Kittitas Valley in 1868. The “Robber’s Roost” is the original trading post that opened in 1870 and is currently on display with a showcase of other historic structures at the Kittitas Valley Event Center which is also the location of the annual Kittitas County Fair and Ellensburg Rodeo. The City of Ellensburg was originally named “Ellensburgh” by John Alden Shoudy in honor of his wife Ellen and was incorporated in 1883. The downtown of Ellensburg has many historic buildings that include the Davidson Building built in 1890. Ellensburg bid for the state capital in 1889 but lost to the City of Olympia. The City of Ellensburg’s water system was one of the first in Washington. In 1891 the Washington State Normal School opened and is now the home of Central Washington University (CWU). According to the US Census Bureau, the geography of the city has a total area of 6.97 square miles of which 6.92 square miles are land, and 0.05 square miles of water. The Yakima River Basin is a main tributary to the Columbia River located in the central portion of Washington State.