Optimist Park, located at Morgan Avenue and Hallowell Lane, has been in existence for approximately 60 years. Recently the South Billings Urban Renewal Association (SBURA), the organization administering the South Billings Tax Increment Financing District, indicated an interest in improving the parking and possibly other amenities in and around Optimist Park. With the popularity and heavy use of the park during the summer months, existing parking for baseball games and other functions and events have become congested, causing safety concerns entering and exiting the park and along Hallowell Lane. To ensure future improvements are suited to and appropriate for the park, a master plan needed to be created to control and limit further development, in accordance with the needs of the community and the limitations and constraints of the park site. To facilitate the master plan study, the SBURA recommended using $25,000 of tax increment and the Council approved $25,000 from the Council Contingency fund, to finance the master plan study. Land Design, Inc. of Billings was selected as the consultant for this project. Under the direction of PRPL staff, they prepared the Optimist Park Master Plan. Staff and Land Design met with stakeholders, held 2 public meetings and met with the SBURA Board on 2 occasions. The final plan was presented to the Parks, Recreation and Cemetery Board (PRC Board) on January 11, 2017, and the PRC Board voted to recommend that the City Council approve the Optimist Park Master Plan.        

City Council may:

• Approve the park master plan as the guiding document for future development at Optimist Park,
• Modify the master plan, or;
• Disapprove the park master plan and provide staff with additional direction.

There will be no additional financial impact for this master plan study. The SBURA has indicated willingness to consider supporting parking improvements and possibly other park improvements in the future.

Staff and the PRC Board recommend that the City Council conduct a public hearing and approve and adopt the Optimist Park Master Plan as the governing document for future development of the park.