Yountville adopts a master plan for parks and recreation

The Yountville Town Council recently adopted the town’s first Parks and Recreation Master Plan, an 88-page document set to guide the direction of park programs and resources over the next five years.

The council unanimously approved the plan Nov. 21. Samantha Holland, the town’s parks and recreation department director, said the purpose of the plan was to document what Yountville currently has in its park system, as well as its facilities and programs, and then plan for the future.

Holland added that the plan serves as a way to inform people about Yountville’s assets — it includes a description of each park — and what the town aims to achieve in the future. Additionally, she said, the plan may better position the town for grants and will help guide future decisions from the council.

Yountville’s current system includes 15 acres of parks and open space, three playgrounds, 3.6 miles of paths and trails, a 20,000-square-foot community center and library facility, and programming that serves over 50,000 people annually, according to Holland.

Recommendations — which include cost estimates, notes, a time frame, estimated staffing impacts and a connection to Yountville’s general plan — included in the master plan include:

• Developing a dog run or exercise park.

• Ensuring a high level of maintenance in parks and public spaces.

• Maintaining a high level of programming and events.

• Providing resident access to a swimming pool through a partnership.

• Adding mile markers on trails and paths.

• Adding shade structures.

• Creating a comprehensive park and trails map. (This project is in progress.)

• Providing access to a fitness facility or gym, which Yountville currently lacks.

• A drop-in area for games and activities at the Yountville Community Center.

• Additional youth and family programming.

• Programs that appeal to residents of the Yountville Veterans Home.

• Multigenerational programming.

• Programs that serve more diverse audiences.

• Programs for adults after working hours.

• A sliding scale of pricing for residents.

• Free programs for seniors.

Holland noted that the recommendations aren’t set in stone, and the department remains adaptable to the current needs of the community.

“It’s not a guarantee that we’ll complete all of these things in five years,” Holland said. “And it’s also really not limiting. New ideas or initiatives we would continue to evaluate, even if it’s not in the plan document. Things come up all the time, whether it’s an idea from someone we could easily implement, or it could be a major change in our community.”

Town Council members at the meeting generally praised the plan. Council member Pam Reeves suggested a policy framework was needed to help with decisions that would be connected to the plan, including those establishing a stance on park and outdoor space use.

“If there were a call for lighting in a certain park, how would the decision be made if the council hasn’t set a policy that says something like, ‘We value the night sky, the dark night sky, and we don’t want to contribute to light pollution’?” Reeves said.

Several others suggested policies. Mayor Margie Mohler, for example, suggested the town could create a reserve fund for the expensive needs.

Town Manager Brad Raulston noted that those recommendations could be incorporated into the document in some way.

Mohler said she’s seen many versions of the plan, given that it’s been in development for more than two years. The first time the concept came up, she said, she had doubts. But going through process of creating the plan had revealed the importance of the effort, Mohler said.

“We now have a plan I didn’t know we really needed, but we have a plan that is more incredible than I ever thought it could be,” Mohler said.

You can reach Staff Writer Edward Booth at 707-521-5281 or edward.booth@pressdemocrat.com.