Planning Our Parks

WHAT IS MASTER PLANNING?

SCC has been busy working on park master planning for two of its most visited areas, the McFarland Park Conservation Center and Hickory Grove Park. Master planning is the process of identifying and planning the future needs and solutions for existing facilities and proposed future additions, often emphasizing infrastructure needs. The goal at these two locations is to map out the future; making connections with users between the facilities, social needs, and surrounding natural environments.

Conservation Center

Built in 1991, the original Conservation Center housed just five full-time employees and was designed to be a gateway to the outdoors, not a building destination. Three decades later, the building tightly houses 11 staff members and significantly more visitors than it was designed for. The organization has outgrown the building’s footprint and the building does not meet the experience most visitors desire. A working group of staff, board members, and consultants have been collaborating since last fall to identify the future center needs of SCC and what location makes sense for those needs.

After thorough vetting, a decision was reached: McFarland Park would remain the home base for SCC operations due to its vast outdoor offerings, neighboring properties, and centralized location in the county. The master plan calls for repurposing the existing Conservation Center into an environmental educational center. This indoor space would allow for consistently-scheduled educational programs and nature camps, hosting creating an inspirational visitor experience. The public would use this facility to view and interact with nature displays, learn about the natural environment, and connect with the many outdoor recreational opportunities available in Story County. The new building’s footprint would also consist of offices and large group meeting space, keeping up with increased public use. See Fig. 1 for conceptual plans.

While SCC is exited to plan for the future, the hard work is yet to come. We have heard thoughts and ideas, and have gathered input from the public to be incorporated into this master plan.

Hickory Grove Park

Hickory Grove Park (HGP), is also going through a master plan process. Since its inception in 1968, this park has come a long way, now featuring modern camping, lodges, a beach, tent camping, trails, and picnicking areas, as well as a lake well known for its angling opportunities. Recent updates include a new tornado-safe campground facility in 2017, beach house in 2020, and full lake renovation in 2021. These updates have been great for the park, as HGP sees more than 200,000 visitors annually and use is expected to continue rising. To keep up with increased visitation, the recreational activities offered at this flagship park could be further expanded to provide more opportunities for people to connect with nature. school and public groups, regardless of weather. The current building will continue as a hub connecting people with nature, as was its original intention. This plan will set up SCC’s environmental education program to continue thriving another 30 years. Further needs identified were additional spaces for offices, educational displays, and public meetings. These needs may be accomplished through a proposed new conservation center north of the existing Conservation Center. This new facility would be the future gateway to the outdoors for SCC at McFarland Park,

The same SCC working group and consultants have been working on a layout at HGP featuring an additional modern RV campground with pull-through sites and group camping areas. Furthermore, the plan shows modern cabins, an updated beachfront area, new picnic shelters in key locations, and an updated tent camping area in a new location. See Fig. 2 for conceptual plans of the cabin and lodge area. While the plan shows much development, it won’t all happen at once. Utility requirements must first be met and then projects can be phased in over time. The long-term goal is to make the best quality recreational opportunities that connect with a wide variety of park users, while also protecting and improving its natural beauty.

SCC will continue these planning efforts, with a goal to complete them this spring. Major efforts like the ones shown in these master plans will take determined public support initiatives and ambitious fundraising efforts. Building community support and buy-in will be key in moving toward the development of these plans. These two master plans create an exciting future for what outdoor education and recreation can look like in Story County.

Stay tuned for more information on how to get involved as well as project updates here: www.storycountyconservation.org.