Public engagement phase opens for planning of Family Park

 A presentation by HTK Architects to the Board of County Commissioners today kicked off the public engagement phase for the planning of Family Park. Shawnee County Parks + Recreation has contracted with HTK to develop a plan for the park located in the 2200 block of SW Urish Road. HTK has partnered with Cook, Flatt and Strobel engineers and Landworks Studio of Olathe to assist in developing the plan.

“A critical component of the planning process is gathering public and stakeholder input concerning potential passive and active recreational opportunities in Family Park,” said Zach Snethen, principal of HTK Architects. Recognizing that the public engagement period comes during the COVID-19 pandemic, there will be both digital and “pop up” in-person community engagement opportunities. These include a dedicated Family Park page on SCP+R’s website at parks.snco.us. The page will include a link to a survey (https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/familypark), a calendar of public engagement opportunities, contact points and updates during the planning process. The first “pop-up” community engagement opportunity is set for 2-4 p.m. Aug. 5 at Midwest Health Aquatic Center.

“While we work to maintain the park and recreation assets we presently manage, we must also provide recreational opportunities to the growing areas of our community,” said Tim Laurent, SCP+R director, adding, “Growth in parks and recreation has not kept pace with the growth in western Shawnee County.”

The survey will seek input on the types of amenities and features the public would like to see in the park. The design team also plans to present to the SCP+R Advisory Board to gain the board’s input. A second survey in October will seek feedback on the plan under development and will help guide the team’s development of concept options for development of the park. A final plan, project budget and implementation strategies will be considered in early December.