Olympia officially adopts new parks plan

The Olympia City Council adopted the final 2016 Parks, Arts and Recreation Plan at Tuesday night’s meeting.

The plan, which was last updated in 2010, focuses on buying more than 300 acres of land for new parks. Other goals in the plan’s 20-year vision include breaking ground on a new community park, a skate court, two “sprayground” water play areas, community gardens, a disc golf course, walking trails and a dog park.

The plan also addresses park safety by calling for more patrolling, lighting and resources for cleaning up homeless encampments.

Last-minute revisions to the plan included budgeting $50,000 for increased arts programming starting in 2017, and budgeting $100,000 for an aquatic center feasibility study in 2018.

Many of the plan’s goals will be made possible by the Metropolitan Parks District, a voter-approved ballot measure that will generate about $3 million in tax money for park maintenance and park acquisition starting in 2017.

At Tuesday’s meeting, the council led a round of applause for the parks department after the plan was passed as part of the consent agenda.

“It’s a stronger plan because of the input that you folks had,” Jonathon Turlove, associate planner with the parks department, told the council.

A copy of the plan can be viewed at olympiawa.gov or tinyurl.com/OlyParksPlan

This story was originally published February 10, 2016 at 5:30 PM with the headline "Olympia officially adopts new parks plan."