The Snyderville Basin Special Recreation District is hosting a series of open houses next week to hear feedback from community members regarding what they’d like to see included in future facilities. “I wouldn’t say growth in the district has exceeded expectations, but we’re at a point w here the Fieldhouse is at its capacity,” said Basin Recreation Director Robert Parrish. “We’re starting to see a decline in service levels, and our customers and residents are having to wait for exercise equipment … so there is a need for additional facilities or additional programming in the district.” Parrish said Basin Recreation is specifically looking for opinions on its Silver Creek Village property and the Cline Dahle project, an affordable housing development that the Summit County Council is currently negotiating with Columbus Pacific Development. The finalized Cline Dahle development agreement is expected to include land for new Basin Recreation facilities, as well as the Park City Fire District. “This is our opportunity to continue the community conversation about what recreation should look like in the Snyderville Basin, and we want our response to be shaped directly by public input,” Parrish said. “I can sit here at my desk and formulate plans and say, ‘This is what we’re going to do,’ and I could completely miss the mark. We are public servants, and we’re here because the residents wanted a recreation district, so we need to speak to and listen to residents.” Parrish said community members have repeatedly told Basin Recreation staff that there is a need for year-round recreation options. The Cline Dahle and Silver Creek Village properties are an opportunity to install those types of facilities in Summit County, but Parrish said the district still needs information on what specific amenities people are hoping to see. “We want to hear not just from existing Fieldhouse users, but from folks who might not assume that this project that we’re doing would be for them, so, trailrunners, cyclists, climbers, outdoor users of all types,” Parrish said. “There’s an opportunity with indoor facilities to extend a summer or fair weather activity with indoor programming to continue training or otherwise enjoying that activity, so we’re seeing a potential for the new facilities as hubs within a larger outdoor recreation network.” The district hopes to develop a mix of new offerings in addition to extending overcrowded services to other parts of the Snyderville Basin, Parrish said. For example, wait times at the Fieldhouse continue to increase as demand grows, so Basin Recreation is considering building a similar facility on one of its two properties to relieve pressure and move amenities closer to residents in other areas of the county. “We have our open houses coming up next week, and then we’re going to synthesize that information and work with a designer to come up with some concepts of what the facility would have and what it would look like,” Parrish said. “Then we’re going to bring that back to the public and get their input on the facility.” Parrish said district staff also want to engage with community members to explore their willingness to support the project financially, either through property taxes or a bond initiative on Election Day. “If there is a bond measure that is passed, we would immediately begin developing schematic drawings based on input, and then the plan is that we could potentially break ground sometime in the spring or summer of 2028,” Parrish said, referring to the Silver Creek Village property. The development timeline for the Cline Dahle parcel is less clear, though, because negotiations between Columbus Pacific Development and the County Council are ongoing. However, Parrish said he is hopeful that a decision will be reached by the end of the year to help Basin Recreation start planning for that property as well. “We’re also taking a look at everything else that we do within our budget and how we operate because we know that if we take over and we build new facilities, we have to operate them efficiently and effectively and live within our means,” Parrish added. “We’re taking an opportunity to look at our budget, how we staff, what we’re spending funds on and doing it efficiently to make sure we’re investing taxpayer dollars wisely.” There will be three open house sessions next week: 5:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Tuesday at the Fieldhouse, 5 to 7 p.m. on Wednesday at Trailside Park, and 12:30 to 9 p.m. on Thursday at the Fieldhouse. Basin Recreation also has an online survey for community members who are unable to attend the open houses. The survey is available online at basinrecreationutah.gov/finding-new-ways-to-play. The post Basin Recreation wants to hear from community about future facility needs appeared first on Park Record. ...read more read less