9 minute read
Plan Development + Community Outreach
The plan development process included site analysis and community outreach. Visits to the site to meet with community leaders allowed the team to understand the current conditions of the site. Community members of all ages attended a park workshop and provided an excellent overview of local values and preferences for the park. Draft plans were reviewed by guest experts and the Town of Luther project representatives and adjusted based on feedback.
This section describes findings from the plan development and community outreach phases.
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Wild Horse Park has long been a local legend. It is rumored that it originally received its name from the author Washington Irving in the early 1800s while he was camping in Indian Territory. Wild Horse Park was named after a chapter of A Tour on the Prairies entitled “Ringing the Wild Horses.”
While Wild Horse Park has a strong history and is still well-loved by community members, it has not received significant investment in many years. The current playground equipment was built in the 1950s and a historic stone structure constructed by volunteers decades ago, is boarded and vacant. The park has no marked parking spaces and only portable, seasonal restrooms. The park lacks adequate lighting, walking and biking paths, and infrastructure for bathrooms and a concession stand with modern food service equipment.
Overall, Wild Horse Park has great potential to be a safe and fun space for Luther residents and its visitors. Located conveniently off Route 66, Wild Horse Park could give travelers access to one of Luther’s finest and most historical assets.
Wild Horse Park Home of Lion Baseball
N Dogwood St
Route 66
4th St
© 2018 Google © 2018 Google
© 2018 Google
900 ft
N
Wild Horse Park has frontage on Route 66 on the north side, but does not have an access directly from Route 66. Access is from Dogwood Street and 4th Street.
The publicly owned property may be divided into a northern and southern half. The north part of the property is developed with park infrastructure, and it features baseball and softball facilities, multi-purpose grass fields, a pavilion, playground equipment, and historic structures. The south part of the property remains in a mostly natural state, and consists of wooded areas and shrubland.
Much of the park property is located within a 100-year floodplain, and the property features some natural topography where water drains. Water and wastewater utilities are located near the edges of the park on the west.
The northwest corner of the park is bordered by a new bank development. The western edges of the park property are bordered by residential neighborhoods. The eastern side of the park property is bordered by agricultural lands.
The Town of Luther completed a Comprehensive Plan in 2018. The themes that emerged in the process are shown in the figure below from the Luther Comprehensive Plan (page 18). Many of these themes and other big ideas from the plan should be considered while developing concepts for Wild Horse Park. How can improvements of the park help work toward these values?
Source: Luther Comprehensive Plan, page 18
The plan also indicates a vision of an Eastern Oklahoma County Regional Bicycle Trail connecting Jones, Harrah, and Luther. A substantial part of the trail may be incorporated into the ongoing Turnpike project. Concept plans for Wild Horse Park should consider this regional possibility.
The plan outlines ideas about creating a brand for the Town of Luther, including focusing on local culture, Route 66 history, and creating new community gateways. Wild Horse Park is located in a great location to create a gateway impression for travelers on Route 66.
Nearby Community Parks
Many people in eastern Oklahoma County tend to travel to neighboring communities to make use of amenities in different parks. The team has included a brief inventory of nearby parks within a short driving distance of Luther, to understand how Wild Horse Park could be part of a regional network. This inventory includes other Route 66 parks.
Early stages of plan development included a number of concept sketches that evolved into a preliminary concept plan. The preliminary plan was reviewed by outside experts and by the Town of Luther project partners.
Guest Experts
The IQC team consulted three guest experts during the plan development stages.
Sarah Little, PhD, is an Assistant Professor of Landscape Architecture at the Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture (GCA) and a registered landscape architect. Dr. Little provided guidance from her experience with children’s play environments and park master planning, and especially assisted with concepts related to inclusive nature play environments.
Brian Dougherty is the director of the Oklahoma City Community Foundation’s Parks and Public Space Initiative. Dougherty is a horticulturist and landscape architect, and provided guidance on successful implementation of parks, trails, and facilities.
Cassi Poor is a senior project manager at the Alliance for Economic Development of Oklahoma City. Poor is trained in landscape architecture and sustainable design, and works on urban redevelopment projects.
COMMUNITY WORKSHOP
On Wednesday, October 2nd, the IQC team traveled to Luther to engage in a design workshop with the community focusing on Wild Horse Park. The workshop was planned as an interactive, come-and-go format. The project partners in Luther advertised the event locally and drew about 30 participants of all ages from the community.
During the workshop, community members participated in three different activities: Calendar Activity, Wild Horse Park MadLibs, and a vision board for Wild Horse Park. Generally, it was found that residents do visit Wild Horse Park for various activities, but would prefer more amenities such as walking trails, a basketball court, better playground equipment, a community garden and a fishpond. The overall findings from each activity are outlined here.
Above: Luther residents described their desires for Wild Horse Park through a series of interactive exercises.
During the calendar activity, participants were asked to mark on a seasonal calendar what kinds of activities they currently do at Wild Horse Park, and what kinds of activities they would like to do. The results indicate how the park might be used throughout the year and in changing seasons.
“What I Do”
Of the answers given by community members, 31% reported walking during every season at Wild Horse Park. 31% also reported playing at the park either with or without the playground equipment. 20% reported using the park for sports practice and nearly 18% said they used the park for some type of party.
Walk
16 Play/Jungle
Gym 16
“What I Want to Do” Cheer Practice 6 Birthday Parties 5 Holiday Parties 4 Baseball
3 Soccer
1
Of the answers recorded for what residents would like to do at Wild Horse Park, 24% wanted some type of walking trail and 14% reported that they would like to be able to walk or run at the park. 11% reported that they want to have basketball courts back at Wild Horse Park and 9% want better playground equipment. Other answers that could be included with the creation of walking trails are a community garden (9%), fishpond (9%), and fruit trees (6%).
Other activities were suggested such as boot camp and yoga that could be implemented through the park activities department. Overall, residents want better trails for walking/running, better playground equipment, and better sports facilities.
Walking Trails 16 Basketball
Court 7 Playground Equipment 6 Community
Garden 6 Fish Pond 6 Walk
5 Run
4 Fruit Trees 4 Boot Camp 4
The Wild Horse Madlibs activity asked participants to write about what they like to do at Wild Horse Park, with whom, and what would make it better. Six examples are included here.
The most common answer was that residents enjoy playing with their children and/or grandchildren at the park. Several residents reported feeling sad, uneasy, and discouraged while at the park because of the lack of play equipment for all ages. A few residents wrote in that they do not go to Wild Horse Park because there is “nothing to do there.” Overall, residents reported that they go to Wild Horse Park to play, practice sports, walk, and attend parties. Yet, residents are torn between feelings of happiness and disappointment with the current condition of the park.
Residents were given a map of Wild Horse Park and 72 images to cut and paste onto the map. From there, residents decided what they wanted in for their park and community.
A sample of vision boards is included here.
Many residents reported that they wanted paved walking and biking trails, wayfinding signs to promote Route 66 and their town, and some form of natural playground equipment. Many residents also put images of sports activities onto their vision board such as a new basketball court, baseball field, soccer field, and workout stations. Residents wrote on their vision board to “keep it natural,” but also commonly included a large multi-purpose pavilion for gatherings and sports activities, as well as bathroom facility. In conclusion, residents most commonly included walking and biking trails, better playground equipment, restroom facilities, and a large pavilion.
