The Bellevue Parks and Recreation Committee is in the final stages of completing a parks master plan that will help guide future development and maintenance of new and existing parks in the city.
As written, the plan spells out detailed park design and maintenance standards based on the guidelines of the National Recreation and Park Association. The master plan will be a part of Bellevue's comprehensive plan, which is a decision-making tool guiding future growth and development in the city.
City Council members on Thursday, March 9, reviewed a draft of the parks master plan and suggested several minor changes. The council will reconsider the matter and possibly vote on the revised draft at its next meeting on March 23.
"The city wants to recognize parks as an important attribute for all citizens," said Robin Stellers, chair of the Bellevue Parks and Recreation Committee. The four-member committee has been working on drafting the parks plan since 2004, Stellers said.
Another project the committee is at work on is the restoration of Bellevue's Memorial Park. The committee recently submitted a grant application to the Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation to help pay for the restoration work, which includes the restoration of the park's basketball court and several safety-related upgrades.
In other Bellevue news:
· The City Council voted in favor of approving a request for $1,000 to help pay for a proposed countywide $750,000 U.S. Geological Survey water study that could take up to seven years to complete. Similar requests have also been made to the cities of Sun Valley, Ketchum and Hailey, as well as Blaine County.
· Bellevue Planning and Zoning Administrator Craig Eckles formally announced the April 10 date for an all-day meeting at the Hailey Community Campus, where Dan Burton of Walkable Communities Inc. will work with Bellevue officials on designing a "walkable" community. The public is invited to the meeting.
