7.
City Council Work Session - AMENDED
- Meeting Date:
- 06/13/2017
- From:
- Rebecca Sayers, Interim Parks and Recreation Director
TITLE
Discussion and Direction: Wheeler Park Design AND USE*
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
City Council will discuss and provide direction regarding the future design of Wheeler Park based on current uses including passive recreation and special events.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
Through the Future Agenda Item Request process, the Council requested to have a discussion on the design and use of Wheeler Park. The location of the park, adjacent to City Hall and the downtown area, makes it a valuable passive recreation and green space for families and friends to enjoy Flagstaff's beautiful weather and each other's company. On any given day, one can see families picnicking, reading books, playing ball, or just enjoying the sun (or snow). Special event producers also enjoy the benefit of the beauty and location of Wheeler Park, and on many weekends from May through October the public can enjoy arts and crafts festivals, pet adoption events, walking/running events, and other festivals and celebrations. Finding the balance between passive recreation and special events at Wheeler Park has been challenging over the last many years, and this Council discussion will help guide staff on the future use and design of the park.
INFORMATION:
Wheeler Park is one of Flagstaff's most loved and used parks. With a desirable location adjacent to City Hall and the downtown business area, it is the perfect location for enjoying a picnic in summer, building a snowman in winter, or hosting a special event or festival in the spring through fall. One of the challenges with the maintenance and management of this park is finding the balance between high use times, such as during special events, and allowing enough passive time between events for the delicate grass to recover.
Over the last several years, large areas of sod have been replaced along with soil aeration, mixing in of new top soil, and leveling. One maintenance challenge is that the parking lot adjacent to Wheeler Park drains into the park during large rain events. This affects the sod in the middle of the park, and because of the clay layer present in the soil throughout much of Flagstaff, the area ends up holding water which can lead to sod degradation if large groups of people are using the area, such as during a special event.
Several annual events enjoy the use of Wheeler Park between May and October and include the following:
- Dixie Green Arts and Crafts Festival (Memorial Day weekend and first weekend of August, 1500 estimated daily attendance)
- Flagstaff Hullabaloo (first weekend in June, 5000 estimated daily attendance)
- Run for Life (fourth Saturday in June, uses park as passive for approximately 700 participants)
- Art in the Park (July 4th weekend and Labor Day weekend/1st weekend of September, 500-1000 estimated daily attendance)
- Rescue Roundup (4th Saturday of July, 1500 estimated attendance)
- Big Brothers/Big Sisters Half Marathon (2nd weekend of August, uses park as passive for approximately 500 participants)
- Festival of Science (4th Saturday of September, 500 estimated attendance)
- Oktoberfest (1st weekend of October, 4300 estimated attendance)
Special events in Wheeler Park add to the vibrancy of downtown and attract many visitors, however over the years some events have outgrown the park and have moved to other locations. For example, Pride in the Pines was held in Wheeler Park for many years but then moved to the Thorpe Park softball fields when the size of the event outgrew Wheeler Park. Several city-organized events have also moved out of Wheeler Park, including Concerts in the Park and the Children's Music and Arts Festival. The challenge with bringing in more special events to Flagstaff, or moving events out of Wheeler Park, besides the loss of the desirable location for special events, is that there are not many other locations they can move to. Thorpe Park ball fields are full almost all other weekends from spring to summer with softball leagues and tournaments. Continental ball fields are similarly booked and are located far from downtown. Bushmaster Park would be excellent for some events, but parking can be limited and it is also far from downtown. Foxglenn Park hosts one large event, the annual Celtic Festival, but free weekends at this park for festivals is also limited due to football and soccer activities. Fort Tuthill County Park is an excellent venue for events, but it is located outside of Flagstaff and is more expensive to rent. Flagstaff is lacking its own dedicated special event venue, and even if funding was available to construct one, many event producers would still want to enjoy the location of Wheeler Park.
This leads us to the discussion of the future design and use of Wheeler Park. Concept plans were drawn up for Wheeler Park in the early 2000's (attached) that included a main stage area in the northwest corner of the park with built-in seating, wide paths and walkways that could host vendor booths throughout the park, improved drainage and electrical systems, and a secondary band stage ramada in the southeast corner of the park near the corner of Aspen and Humphreys (see attached Wheeler Park design concept). In the early 2000's, this plan was reviewed publicly and approved by the Parks and Recreation Commission. Many years have passed since that approval, however, and the concept should perhaps be reviewed and refreshed. Staff is open to ideas and is looking for direction on the future design and use of Wheeler Park.
Over the last several years, large areas of sod have been replaced along with soil aeration, mixing in of new top soil, and leveling. One maintenance challenge is that the parking lot adjacent to Wheeler Park drains into the park during large rain events. This affects the sod in the middle of the park, and because of the clay layer present in the soil throughout much of Flagstaff, the area ends up holding water which can lead to sod degradation if large groups of people are using the area, such as during a special event.
Several annual events enjoy the use of Wheeler Park between May and October and include the following:
- Dixie Green Arts and Crafts Festival (Memorial Day weekend and first weekend of August, 1500 estimated daily attendance)
- Flagstaff Hullabaloo (first weekend in June, 5000 estimated daily attendance)
- Run for Life (fourth Saturday in June, uses park as passive for approximately 700 participants)
- Art in the Park (July 4th weekend and Labor Day weekend/1st weekend of September, 500-1000 estimated daily attendance)
- Rescue Roundup (4th Saturday of July, 1500 estimated attendance)
- Big Brothers/Big Sisters Half Marathon (2nd weekend of August, uses park as passive for approximately 500 participants)
- Festival of Science (4th Saturday of September, 500 estimated attendance)
- Oktoberfest (1st weekend of October, 4300 estimated attendance)
Special events in Wheeler Park add to the vibrancy of downtown and attract many visitors, however over the years some events have outgrown the park and have moved to other locations. For example, Pride in the Pines was held in Wheeler Park for many years but then moved to the Thorpe Park softball fields when the size of the event outgrew Wheeler Park. Several city-organized events have also moved out of Wheeler Park, including Concerts in the Park and the Children's Music and Arts Festival. The challenge with bringing in more special events to Flagstaff, or moving events out of Wheeler Park, besides the loss of the desirable location for special events, is that there are not many other locations they can move to. Thorpe Park ball fields are full almost all other weekends from spring to summer with softball leagues and tournaments. Continental ball fields are similarly booked and are located far from downtown. Bushmaster Park would be excellent for some events, but parking can be limited and it is also far from downtown. Foxglenn Park hosts one large event, the annual Celtic Festival, but free weekends at this park for festivals is also limited due to football and soccer activities. Fort Tuthill County Park is an excellent venue for events, but it is located outside of Flagstaff and is more expensive to rent. Flagstaff is lacking its own dedicated special event venue, and even if funding was available to construct one, many event producers would still want to enjoy the location of Wheeler Park.
This leads us to the discussion of the future design and use of Wheeler Park. Concept plans were drawn up for Wheeler Park in the early 2000's (attached) that included a main stage area in the northwest corner of the park with built-in seating, wide paths and walkways that could host vendor booths throughout the park, improved drainage and electrical systems, and a secondary band stage ramada in the southeast corner of the park near the corner of Aspen and Humphreys (see attached Wheeler Park design concept). In the early 2000's, this plan was reviewed publicly and approved by the Parks and Recreation Commission. Many years have passed since that approval, however, and the concept should perhaps be reviewed and refreshed. Staff is open to ideas and is looking for direction on the future design and use of Wheeler Park.