County opens public input on a 10- to 15-year master plan for San Tan Mountain Regional Park, with an online meeting Nov. 10

Maricopa County wants to hear from the people who use San Tan Mountain Regional Park as it drafts a long-range plan for the park's future.

The county's Parks and Recreation Department said this week that San Tan Mountain is one of three regional parks in the current round of its master planning effort, along with Estrella Mountain and Buckeye Hills. Each finished plan is meant to serve as a road map for recreation, facilities, infrastructure and protection of natural resources for the coming 10 to 15 years.

How to weigh in

A virtual public meeting on the San Tan Mountain plan is set for 5 to 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 10, on GoTo Meeting at meet.goto.com/816655589. The county says the session is a chance to hear how the planning works, raise questions and share ideas.

People who cannot attend can comment online at any time through a project site run by the county's consultant, BerryDunn. The San Tan Mountain page, at engageberrydunn.mysocialpinpoint.com/san-tan-regional-park, invites visitors to drop markers on a park map showing the areas they use and to note strengths, problems and suggestions. As of Saturday the map showed 13 contributions.

The county's main engagement page also offers surveys and asks for views on possible improvement projects and budget priorities. Comments can also be emailed to the parks department with "Park Master Plan" in the subject line.

What the plans cover

According to the county, planners are looking at the current condition of each park, its recreational amenities and services, and its natural resources, and then identifying possible improvements. Public feedback is supposed to shape which capital projects come first, how they might be paid for, and the long-range recommendations for every park.

In all, the department is writing plans for nine of its regional parks, taking them three at a time. The consultant's site describes the effort as a three-year project.

"Community input is essential to developing park master plans that reflect the needs and priorities of the people who use and enjoy these spaces," Jennifer Waller, director of Maricopa County Parks and Recreation, said in the county's announcement.

The other two parks in this round have their own online meetings: Buckeye Hills on Wednesday, Nov. 18, and Estrella Mountain on Wednesday, Dec. 2, both from 5 to 6:30 p.m.

Sources

maricopa.gov

engageberrydunn.mysocialpinpoint.com

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