Welcome to the Online Open House

Testing deleting comments

Our family moved from Whatcom County which hosts at least 5 different pump tracks, all of which are very popular with bikers of all ages. This includes the well-known waterfront pump track in Bellingham, which also supports the local business that sell food and refreshments nearby. I can't emphasize enough how much these facilities bring together community and provide a fun outdoor activity for the family. When grandparents visit from out of town, I always took them with the little ones to the pump track and we would all have a great time. Now that we live in Battle Ground, there is currently no nearby pump track here, and it feels like a big loss. I think a pump track will bring so much value to the neighborhood. Our littlest kid started riding the pump track at 2 years old, and I've seen kids of all ages as well as adults like myself using the pump tracks. I am fully in favor of this wonderful feature!

Please add a pump track somewhere and include a small one for small children. These are such versatile areas for all ages, even a big draw for adults!

Battle Ground relies heavily on schools to get practice space for outdoor sports on fields that are great for recess and not so great for sports. It would be nice to have facilities that are multi-use for sports like Ridgefield has at RORC. A mix of soccer, baseball, softball, football, tennis, rugby and track... so many kids start out with a rec team. Let's give them a great place to play as they get older, too.

Playground that is gated, especially since so many are close to busy areas

I would love to see a splash pad that offers more then just shooting water straight up from the ground. Something that allows kids to use their imagination and enjoy safe water play. Maybe a small wading area that fills with water, cannons that kids can shoot water across the splash pad, a bucket feature that dumps water once full, a sprinkler style sprayer, etc. If offering multiple splash pads at multiple parks maybe they can be age specific depending on the park. Ex: Fairgrounds(ages under 8), Remy Park(over 8).

I think this would be a great addition to Fairgrounds Park. We really need a more larger park for kids of all ages in our area. Aside from all of the smaller neighborhood parks that mainly only offer a climbing feature with a slide. Fairgrounds Park is the center of BG and so it should be highlighted as our all around community park to bring everyone together. I would love to have both a well designed creative splash pad for all kids plus a play structure in the same park. This will allow us to not have to travel to multiple parks on a warm summer day.

We need more outdoor sports activities!

Would love some pickleball courts at the park grounds on Grace. Currently, the closest courts for my wife and I are next to Costco and it's roughly a 25 min drive each way to play.

Most Battle Ground area residents who have chosen to live here have done so due to the small town feel of the area. I would like to see these areas developed with that in mind. It would be wonderful to balance the development of these properties with that small town community desire. Reading the article in The Reflector (January 24, 2024~ Concepts for Parks) the following would be my choices for each site. Garden Oaks: Concept 2/ Artful Oaks. Durkheim property: Concept 3/ Nature Connection. Fairgrounds Park: Concept 2/ Play Through the Ages. Remy Property: Concept 1/ Nature Exploration.
I would agree with a lot of other comments, that Battle Ground is in need of a public pool, but do not feel that any of the properties included in this survey would be appropriate location(s) for such a place. Battle Ground also could use an outdoor events location that small events could take place with a pavilion like stage. I look forward to seeing how this moves forward in the planning committee.

We live up the road on Grace and would love to see improvements like this. All for it! We would hope the city would extend the city sidewalks so it can be safer for walking and biking along Grace where there are no sidewalks and narrow shoulders to the road. Thank you!

I would really love a dog park to be built for part of this at least- doesn’t need to be huge but enough space for dogs to run-maybe have a small dog space and a space for large dogs- and have a double entrance so dogs are less likely to escape. A playground would be awesome especially if it has tandem swings for children and an adult to be on with them and sensory friendly things too maybe? But definitely have it fenced in because I’ve got autistic toddlers who elope and run and I am always so nervous when it’s not fenced and then running into the street because they don’t recognize danger and it’s scary. Having a rec pool area would be awesome too- obviously there would be a fee to use it but it would be great to have a swimming pool closer for my kids to go to and get swim lessons etc. we would always be at the pool as much as we could so we would likely get memberships if it were offered. That would be such a good idea because it would be a hot spot for our community especially during the heat and a good way to add more jobs and money coming in to our community. Right now to travel to a pool for my kids is a pain because it’s so far there and back for us and we would love one here. I really hope that’s possible. I know my teenagers would love that more than a bike park and some other things. If I had to pick my top 2 out of this list I’d say dog park and community rec pool would be my top 2! We would use them all the time

I also feel like a nice large indoor pool or a YMCA would be a better fit for Battle Ground. That is a facility that would be used all year around. I currently go to the YMCA in Orchards but would be really nice to have that here.

I would like to know how these parks will be cared for; cleaned and patrolled. I do not want to have them turn out like the small neighbor hood parks in PDX where there is a lot of drug use and homeless hanging around. Children are not safe in areas like that unless parents want to do a cleaning of the park before children can enter. It seems to me that Battle Ground Lake and Lewisville Park are sufficient for this area. Battle Ground needs to focus on taking care of the city we have, repairing roads, street cleaning and making sure we have a large enough water supply to support all the people moving in. These parks seem like bad gathering places to me.

Accessibility to these parks by walking or walking trails will be important and plenty of parking in either designated parking spaces or off street parking options.please make sure parking places will accommodate a lot of people. Because public events and concerts willost likely be hosted at these new parks

Also, I agree with a few of the other comments that battle ground is in desperate need of a pool/rec center. My suggestion is to create a rec center in partnership with the high school where students can work and learn how to manage retail and rec center, finances, accounting, and overall business management skills while being supervised and overseen by city of vendor professionals. This would create a lasting education opportunity that will make the BG school system a part of real world readiness programs for students.

I like the parks that have concepts with splashpads and all accessible playgrounds, walking and biking trails. Right now there is not a single park in Battle ground or close by that has accessible playgrounds or splash pads. We also need trails that are wheelchair and stroller accessible. A community park that encourages families to bring their children and meet more families.

My family loves the idea of a pump track! What a great way to promote athleticism and adventure in riders of all ages!

My concern with all the outdoor facilities is who is going to maintain it and police it? I don’t want my taxes to get raised for that. I love the idea of trails and some sort of sport complex that was covered.

Pickleball courts with some lights would be awesome

I am tremendously excited at the prospect of having a park on the Remy property!
I have lived close by in the Winchester Ranch Neighborhood for over 20 years and have seen that space evolve over the years. When we first moved out here and my kids were in grade school, I would take them out to the field to fly kites or launch model rockets, and my neighbor would fly RC planes once and awhile, I truly miss having that space available for those kinds of activities. However, considering the space available I have also envisioned other possibilities, like sports fields, picnic structures, or possibly an amphitheater space that could host live entertainment or entertainment gazebo like structure very much like the one currently at Esther Short Park in downtown Vancouver. I can also see a public space where all variety of celebratory public events might take place, one can imagine a fourth of July stage show and fireworks display to rival Fort Vancouver might be something to think about. The only thing that makes me pause is considering what the traffic impact would be unless the much-needed street widening and improvements such as sidewalks and bike paths needed for SW 20th Ave. between SW 7th Cir and SW Scotton Way can finally move forward.

I like the idea of all the facilities you mention EXCEPT "pump tacks" IF they are anything like Skate Parks . I find that the kids that use them are oft times agressive and loud (speaking of my experience at the Battle Ground Skate Park.

The community needs a pool and disc golf would be awesome

Aquatics Facility/pool is desperately needed and has been for years I had to learn to swim in Battle Ground Lake during two chilly weeks in June.My sons had learn to swim at the tiny, but effective Battle Ground Swim School. Most north county residents can’t or won’t drive to Vancouver for swim lessons. Our youth need to know how to swim. It’s a safety issue. Now I’m a grandma and I would love to do recreational/exercise swimming without driving to Vancouver

LOVE to see our city take steps to design spaces to build our community, especially with how many families live here! Please consider diversification between the parks to serve different interests as you review the submissions. Thank you for collecting input, and I am excited to see these designs unfold for our enjoyment in the future.

I don't care what you do in the other locations BUT, PLEASE, PLEASE, DON'T TOUCH GARDNER OAKS!!!!!!! PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF GOD LEAVE US SOME BEAUTIFUL NATURAL PLACES TO LOOK AT. DON'T SPOIL EVERYTHING JUST BECAUSE YOU CAN....AREN'T THOSE OAKS PROTECTED, IF NOT THEY SHOULD BE... WHY DO YOU THINK YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO MAKE EVERYTHING CONCRETE. YOU CANNOT IMPROVE ON NATURE, NO MATTER HOW MUCH YOU TRY. JUST BECAUSE YOU CAN DOES NOT MEAN YOU SHOULD. IT IS NOT PROGRESS IT IS DISTRUCTION!!!!!