ST. GEORGE — Springdale’s recreation direction is crystallizing. The Town Council approved a Parks and Recreation Master Plan during its recent meeting.
Springdale residents and the Town Council have wrestled with what the future of recreation and development will look like. They have been weighing how it will impact what council member Jack Burns calls this “recreation hub.”
“A lot of what this is (in the plan) is based on metrics and projections,” Burns said. “And some but not all of it is really relevant to Springdale.”
The plan evaluates the condition of existing recreational facilities and determines future recreational needs based on population growth and new development. And a major consideration is the impact of Zion National Park and the millions of people who visit annually.
“Springdale is a unique community with growing demand on its recreational offerings,” the plan states. “The existing parks and trails will continue to be impacted as the town experiences even more growth.”
The plan determines future recreational needs based on population growth and new development. Public input was gathered with open houses and surveys during 2023.
Sunrise Engineering submitted the new plan to the Springdale Town Council. It covers recreational facilities, including parks, trails, open spaces and potential indoor recreation buildings. The study considers population growth rate, nightly hotel guests and Zion National Park visitors.
“Springdale is a unique community with growing demand on its recreational offerings,” the plan states. “The existing parks and trails will continue to be impacted as the town experiences even more growth.”
Ryan Gubler, director of parks and recreation for the city, told St. George News the master plan takes existing data and uses population growth and visitation projections to help with future expansion of parks, trails and other recreational amenities.
“It helps us to understand the level of service we should be providing to those who recreate in the community,” Gubler said. “Much of what exists in the new master plan will be discussed and planned for in much more detail in subsequent meetings with town staff and the Town Council.”
Burns added that the plan is a “quick snapshot” of the town’s recreation amenities and looks at Springdale’s projected 2% growth in the next 10 to 20 years.
“Here’s what you might consider to address the needs of an even higher population. I think where things get a little skewed on this is that we’ve got a park at our doorstep that’s receiving millions of visitors,” Burns said.
The plan recommends the construction of additional parks and trails to support the town’s goals for the future and states, “This plan should be used to emphasize the importance of recreation to the town and support future recreational projects to best serve the needs of its residents and visitors.”
Blaine Worrell of Sunrise Engineering said in a letter to the council that the data used in the master plan is based on what future recreational facilities should be built to keep up with the growth. The letter mentions the National Recreation and Park Association has also established baseline averages for communities of comparable size to Springdale.
Springdale has increased one of its park sizes with the recent addition to George Barker River Park. The town has purchased a .91-acre parcel adjacent to George Barker River Park. And the town is planning the construction of a memorial grove near the Jolley-Gifford Cemetery.
Additional improvements to the town’s recreation areas include the Steamboat Mountain Trail, which would be improved and run through the memorial grove. Also, benches and public restrooms could be added.
Other upgrades to be considered in the next 20 years include botanical gardens, expansion of the existing disc golf course, traditional landscaped park areas, open areas, gazebos, playgrounds, basketball courts, skate parks, picnic areas and dog parks.
Burns said some residents are interested in building an indoor recreation center. However, Burns added that after sending out surveys to community members and holding an Open House, people began to see some issues that could arise if the town built an indoor recreation center.
“We found it could not be just a recreation center for town residents. It has to be a public facility,” Burns said. “So then, things change a little. Wow, do we really want to build a recreation center that the town residents actually may have limited use of? Is it also available to the millions of visitors who come into Springdale? So that kind of made people rethink a little bit. If it’s a public facility, then how do you manage it so that residents don’t get squeezed out?”
Burns said building a recreation center is not the town’s highest priority. He added they have the benefit of having the work done, such as conceptual drawings that are pretty advanced and some of the cost estimates to which they can refer back.
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