Meridian Parks and Recreation 2022 Annual Report

DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE

I am pleased to share Meridian Parks and Recreation’s 2022 Annual Report with you. As the highlights suggest, 2022 was truly a remarkable year. We are excited about the direction our department is heading as it evolves to serve the changing needs of our community’s residents and visitors.

Every other year, the City of Meridian performs a Citizen Survey to assess the community’s perception of city services and other relevant topics. Our most recent survey, administered earlier this year by a national research firm that specializes in surveys for local governments, focused on the quality of services provided both by the City of Meridian directly and those provided by our service partners in the community. Our goal from these surveys is to better understand how Meridian residents view our services.

Steve Siddoway Director

Meridian Parks and Recreation

Upon reviewing the results of the 2022 survey, I was pleased to see that 89% of respondents agreed that Meridian is an excellent or good place to live and raise a family and they feel safe in our community. Meridian’s Parks and Recreation services were also rated and scored above the U.S. average for similar services in all seven areas that were evaluated.

These areas included: Quality of Athletic Fields; Quality of Youth Sports Programs; Quality of Adult Sports Programs and Sporting Events; Quality and Variety of Special Events and Festivals; Quality of Pathways for Walking and Biking; Quality and Variety of Recreation Programs and Classes; and Availability of Community Center and Gym Facilities.

The data we extracted from this survey, coupled with the information we gathered through extensive public engagement as part of our recently completed year-long Meridian Parks and Recreation Master Plan Update process, will help us set priorities for the future and identify areas where our services or facilities can be improved.

As we head into the new year, we look forward to working on many of the priority areas you’ve helped us identify continuing to expand pathway connectivity, improving communications, planning for a new community center, remaining on the lookout for potential future parkland, and more.

We’re thankful for your support and engagement during the past year and hope you share our enthusiasm for the coming new year!

ABOUT MERIDIAN PARKS AND RECREATION

Meridian Parks and Recreation is one of the city’s leading providers of affordable, year-round leisure and recreational activities and entertainment for residents and visitors of all ages and abilities. Beautiful parks and plazas; pathways, ponds and open spaces; recreation, performance and sports facilities; arts and culture all provide the perfect urban oasis and offer a respite from the fast pace of life for those in our evolving community.

O Mis i

The Meridian Parks and Recreation Department’s mission is to enhance our community’s quality of life by providing innovatively designed parks, connected pathways, and diverse recreational opportunities for all citizens of Meridian.

O Vi i

Meridian Parks and Recreation is a premier department that provides family-focused opportunities for the Meridian community and responds to a growing and changing population.

MERIDIAN MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL

In 2022, Luke Cavener served as the City Council Liaison to the Meridian Parks and Recreation Department.

MERIDIAN PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION

President: Jo Greer

Vice President: Keith Bevan

Commissioners: Jennifer Bobo

Dom Gelsomino

Elle Hood

Mike Medellin

John Nesmith

Mandi Roberts

Brandon Simpson

WATCH ONLINE!

The Meridian Parks and Recreation Commission generally meets the second Wednesday of each month at 5:30 pm at Meridian City Hall. These meetings are open to the public and are live streamed via the City of Meridian’s website at meridiancity.org/live.

Meridian Parks and Recreation Commissioners

Front Row: Elle Hood, Jo Greer, Mandi Roberts, Keith Bevan

Back Row: John Nesmith, Dom Gelsomino, Mike Medellin, Jennifer Bobo, Brandon Simpson

Pictured left to right: Jessica Perreault, Luke Cavener, Brad Hoaglun, Mayor Robert Simison, Treg Bernt, Joe Borton, Liz Strader

We Are Parks and Recreation

Director: Steve Siddoway

Administrative Assistants: Kaela Hopkins Rachel Myers

Jeannette Sanchez

Recreation Manager: Garrett White

Recreation Coordinators: Skyler Cook (Sports) Maggie Combs (Sports) Jenna Fletcher (Classes & Camps) Renee White (Special Events)

Parks Superintendent: Mike Barton

Parks Maintenance Manager: Roger Norberg

Year-Round Parks Maintenance Staff: John Aceves, Jeremy Aldrich, Dave Cereghino, James Christensen, Kevin Gallivan, Phil Harris, Codi Heaton, Joe Hoover, Frank Keeney, Wade Maisey, John Meuser, Debbie Miller, Will Rodgers, Rex Rutherford, Dakota Timmons, Dan White

Parks and Pathways Project Manager: Kim Warren

City Arborist: Kyle Yorita

Arts & Culture Coordinator: Cassandra Schiffler

Marketing Coordinator: Shelly Houston

Volunteer Coordinator: Jaime Del Barrio General Manager & Head Golf Pro: Ryan Roberts

Aquatics Coordinator: Willow Spurlock

Meridian Homecourt Facility Manager: Jake Garro

Meridian Homecourt Site Supervisor: Ross Cipriano Ilhui Lozado-Cortes Renee McFarland

Sports League Site Supervisor: Todd Vanderhoff

Accolades

In February, at the City of Meridian’s annual All-Staff Meeting, Recreation Coordinator Jenna Fletcher was presented with one of the City’s prestigious CARE Champion awards.

Meridian Mayor Robert Simison also honored seasonal staff members Daryl Freter (pictured below left) and Stirling Hadley (not pictured) with Meridian Way Coins for their role in assisting a resident who needed help with her child during a visit to Settlers Park.

Seasonal staff member Andrew Carlsen (pictured below) was also awarded a Meridian Way Coin by Mayor Simison for voluntarily assisting a citizen who was struggling to load some heavy bags of concrete mix into the bed of his truck outside a local home improvement store.

PARKS AND RECREATION MASTER PLAN UPDATE

Refining Our Vision of the Future

In 2015, the Meridian Parks and Recreation Department developed its first comprehensive Master Plan a detailed document that laid out the vision for and guided the development of our city’s parks and pathways system, recreation activities, and special events. This master plan served as an integral part of our ongoing efforts to provide innovatively designed parks, better connected pathways, and diverse recreational opportunities that build lasting memories. This document guided us well for a period of six years but was due for an update to ensure we continue to serve the evolving needs of our community.

In mid-October 2021, we began working closely with parks and recreation planning experts from the BerryDunn consulting firm, as well as city council members, parks commissioners, and members of the public in a planning process that engaged stakeholders and garnered public input and resulted in an updated Parks and Recreation Master Plan for Meridian.

This process allowed us to strategically examine our community’s vision; evaluate existing services, facilities, and resources; and assess future needs and wishes concerning our parks and recreation system.

In-person and virtual focus group meetings, a public forum, and an online survey all helped us learn more about how we can best prioritize and fulfill the future needs and expectations of our community.

As part of this process, we also established a new Cost Recovery philosophy and policy which will help us prioritize and price our recreation programs, facility rentals, and events.

Website Gets Fresh Look; Easier Access to Information

meridiancity.org

If it’s been a while since you’ve accessed the City of Meridian website, you’re in for a big surprise!

The entire website, including the Parks and Recreation Department’s content, now features bigger, brighter images and a more intuitive user interface.

The refreshed site made its debut on November 11, 2022, and has been getting excellent feedback.

While staff will continue doing some light finetuning to the new site, we think you’ll like the new format and will be able to find the information you’re seeking with a minimum of “clicks.”

If you’d like to go directly to the Meridian Parks and Recreation portion of the website, its web address is: meridiancity.org/parks.

City Winds Up First Season of Pool Management

On June 6, 2022, the Meridian Community Pool opened for the summer season under the operation of the Meridian Parks and Recreation Department. In anticipation of its opening, a variety of repairs and enhancement were completed.

These included access gate adjustments, concrete repairs, the installation of new AEDs, a new auto-vac system for vacuuming the pool, and the replacement of equipment used by the pool’s team of 42 lifeguards. In addition, the men’s and women’s changing rooms and restrooms were updated for ADA compliance, and several IT updates improved the telephone, computer, security and WiFi systems.

Despite some hiring challenges due to the tight labor force, the pool was able to offer youth swimming lessons and weekday open swim sessions throughout the summer. The pool also hosted practices and meets for local high school swim teams.

During the off-season, a portion of the pool building’s interior space will be utilized for classes and activities offered through Meridian Parks and Recreation.

New Cornhole Courts in Settlers Park

Meridian’s Settlers Park now has five new concrete cornhole courts, thanks to a grant from Together Treasure Valley, a team of community partners who fund projects aimed at celebrating the places, people and endeavors that make the Treasure Valley special.

The ten cornhole boards share space with the park’s horseshoe pits and are located behind the tennis court complex. They are available for use by the public free of charge and can be reserved for tournaments and special events.

The facility, which celebrated its ribbon cutting on May 13, 2022, has already been the site a number of cornhole tournaments hosted by both the Meridian Parks and Recreation Department and a variety of outside organizations.

ULI Panel Visit

Meridian’s Pathway System Viewed Through Fresh Eyes

In the August of 2022, the City of Meridian invited a panel of planning experts from the Urban Land Institute (ULI) to spend several days in Meridian exploring and evaluating its pathways system. The group’s primary purpose was to provide potential strategies for improving the system’s connectivity, along with offering recommendations on developing a more equitable, sustainable and accessible pathway system.

After being briefed on both the strengths and challenges of Meridian’s current pathway system, the panelists arrived in Meridian and began touring various pathways and pathway segments. Their focus areas included wayfinding; standards for amenities; funding; access; visibility and activation; identity and branding; and continuity.

They also conducted several stakeholder interviews with both City officials and a variety of Meridian residents to gather their thoughts, opinions and priorities.

After compiling this data and reviewing their observations, the panelists reconvened to create a detailed report and presentation of their findings and recommendations. This information was presented as a written report and in public meeting presentations to both the mayor and Meridian City Council, as well as to members of the Meridian Parks and Recreation Commission.

You can view the current Meridian Pathways Map and Meridian Pathways Master Plan at https://meridiancity.org/parks/meridian-pathways/

Lakeview Golf Club Improvements

Meridian’s City-owned golf course, Lakeview Golf Club, enjoyed an excellent year. It hosted a variety of adult and youth tournaments and clinics, provided golf lessons, and held a variety of social events. In May, the club hosted the 4A Idaho High School State Championships and the Club Championship was held in late August

A number of major projects that will improve the golf course’s appearance and playability were started this summer. A new irrigation system is being installed throughout the entire golf course to improve water coverage; the new irrigation lines and heads have now all been installed. Work continues on the installation of a new pressurized irrigation pump which will increase water capacity and minimize the need for daytime watering. And new concrete cart path segments will be installed near tees and greens throughout the course. Indoors, the club enhanced its breakfast, lunch and dinners offerings prepared by Rooster’s Tavern on the Green and plans are being made to renovate the clubhouse’s dining room and patio. In early December the club implemented a new wintertime Coffee with the Pros event. Each Thursday morning the club is offering an opportunity for golfers to enjoy coffee and a golf lesson with its golf pros. Information about Lakeview Golf Club can be found at: https://www.lakeview-golf.com.

Kleiner Park Marks 10th Anniversary

Meridian’s annual Gene Kleiner Day celebration on June 11 was extra special this year as we were also celebrating Julius M. Kleiner Memorial Park’s 10th Anniversary!

Gene Kleiner Day honors the generosity of the day’s namesake who developed and donated the 60-acre $25 million park to the City of Meridian in honor of his late father, Julius, who once farmed the land on which the park now sits.

This year’s celebration included a free outdoor concert by the Meridian Symphony Orchestra, followed by a high-energy concert by the party band Jukebox. A proclamation was read that declared the day as Gene Kleiner Day, free ice cream treats were served, and people created thank you cards which were gathered up and presented to Gene Kleiner.

Partnership Brings Pickleball to Kleiner Park

Meridian’s Julius M. Kleiner Memorial Park now has four new pickleball court. The courts are the result of a public-private partnership between the City of Meridian and Brighton Corporation and Ball Ventures LLC, the two companies that jointly own the nearby Bri at the Village 55+ active adult apartment community.

Under the terms of a construction and joint use agreement with the City, BVBC paid for the construction of the pickleball facility in exchange for six hours of priority use for Bri residents each week – Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, from 10:00 am – Noon. At most other times, the courts will be available for use by the general public. This agreement will remain in place for a period of ten years.

The new courts were constructed this summer and fall are located in the northwest corner of the park and opened for play with a public ribbon cutting celebration on November 15.

New Playground Installed at Chateau Park

On October 5, 2022, City officials and neighbors gathered to cut the ribbon on a new playground at Meridian’s Chateau Park. The new playground, which replaced the park’s aging play structures, is universally accessible and has soft-fall surfacing. The project was paid for with Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds. The park’s former playground equipment will be donated to a non-profit that will refurbish it and install it for use by children in a third world country.

Construction Progress Continues on Discovery Park Phase 2

Discovery Park Phase 2 broke ground earlier this year and a lot of progress has been made. Much of this work has been building the infrastructure necessary to support the new 520-space parking lot and other park amenities that will require water, power and sewer. The new restroom concession building is 50% complete; most of the sidewalks are in as well as all the curb and gutter. We have completed sidewalks and curb/gutter for our portion of the new collector road (Recreation Ave). This road, along with the parking lot, was paved the week of September 26. The new tennis/pickleball courts have also been paved.

Williams Pipeline has completed the replacement of their 2 24” natural gas lines that run diagonally thru the park. The next focus areas will be landscaping, picnic shelters, fencing, softball lights and the teen area. The bike park and skate park are currently in design and scheduled to break ground this coming spring. Overall, the park expansion project is on schedule and on budget.

Upon its completion, Discovery Park’s new amenities will include an Active Area with tennis and pickleball, bocce ball court, 40-yard dash, basketball court; bike park and pump track; Teen Area with skate park, hammock poles, and sand volleyball; illuminated ball fields; restroom /concession stand; community garden; picnic shelters; paved walking paths; and additional parking.

Discovery Park is located in south Meridian along Lake Hazel Rd, between Eagle and Locust Grove.

Event Photos

Event Photos

Event Photos Top to Bottom:

Children’s Winterland Festival

Meridian Ornament Drop

Salvation Army Angel Tree Toy Drive

Event Photos Top to Bottom: Rake Up Meridian Holiday Classic Volleyball Tournament Meridian Winter Lights Parade