Mothers who take their children to play at Playground in the Park; youth who enjoy the skatepark and families who enjoy picnics and hikes at the community park are invited to gaze into a crystal ball and picture the future of South Whidbey Community Park.

The South Whidbey Parks and Recreation District is inviting residents to help plan the future of the park.

Managed locally, the park district is 20 years old and experiencing growing pains.

Will a new park headquarters, an aquatic center, a gymnasium or a fitness center be future additions to the South Whidbey Parks and Recreation District?

Parks officials are addressing these questions and many others during the development of a master plan for the park.

On Tuesday, Nov. 14, park officials and representatives from a landscape architectural firm will meet with interested members of the public to discuss ideas for the district’s future.

Park officials want to hear from patrons of the park.

“It is extremely important for the public to get involved at this stage,” said Allison Tapert, a board member for the parks district.

“I am excited that this is finally underway. I think a master plan is something the district has needed for some time,” Tapert said. “This is a good opportunity for people to tell us what they want, whether that is a swimming pool, indoor recreation facility, or more trails.”

Board members and staff have met with a number of user groups to talk about future needs, including the schools, seniors, baseball and soccer organizations and the Commons group.

“Now it’s time to hear from the more casual user of the park,” said Art Burke, director of the parks district.

“The purpose of this master plan is to determine the direction for future development at both the Community Park and Sports Complex,” he said.

The park’s staff and consultants have mapped the existing park, as well as resources and facilities.

“We have a well-written and fairly inclusive comprehensive plan that states the direction of the district. However, the master planning process will take that a step further, resulting in a visual representation of how the community thinks the park should look in the future,” Tapert said.

While building ballfields and trails were the primary focus in the first 20 years of the parks’ existence, the next decade may see some new facilities.

An additional 200 forested acres were added to the existing 112-acre park district through the state Department of Natural Resources.

Called the Upper Maxwelton Valley property, it features a woodland and is also the upper watershed of Maxwelton Creek, one of two salmon-bearing streams on Whidbey Island.

Planning for the Maxwelton land will happen at the same time the master plan is developed.

The district has been awarded a grant to develop a conceptual plan from the National Park Service’s Rivers, Trails and Conservation Assistance Program.

“The primary focus of this new park will be passive recreation opportunities, such as walking, hiking, nature and environmental programming,” Burke said.

The master plan will incorporate information gathered from a community-wide survey sent to residents last fall.

“The survey showed us there is interest in having a pool and a gymnasium,” Burke said.

“With the aging population on South Whidbey, there is a lot of interest in adult fitness programs and an aquatic center,” he said.

The “recreation needs” survey was sent to 4,000 residents in Langley, Clinton and Freeland. In the course of four weeks, almost 1,000 surveys were returned.

The firm MacLeod Reckord of Seattle will lead the effort on the master plan; commissioners have agreed to spend up to $50,000 on the project.

History has shown when the parks district builds, people come. Twenty years ago, community volunteers got together during weekend work parties and began carving a park out of the woods on Maxwelton Road.

Today the district includes four baseball fields, five soccer fields, a large playground, a playground with a covered picnic area, a skate park, miles of trails for hiking and biking, parking, plus a concession stand in the main park and vending machines at the Sports Complex on Langley Road.

Gayle Saran can be reached at 221-5300 or gsaran@southwhidbeyrecord.com