Havens Park Background Information

Maps

Location Map showing Havens Park and surrounding neighborhoods.	Neighborhood Context Map showing the area immediately surrounding the park.
Existing Conditions Plan, Havens Park	Service Area Map showing the typical service area for a park of this size.

Building the Vision

The first step in the master planning process is to build a vision for what Havens Park might become ten or twenty years from now. What type of activities will occur there? What populations will it serve?

Discovery Meeting

Schwab-Eaton met with representatives from the City Parks and Recreation Department and the Parks & Community Activities Board to discuss these questions. The participants were asked to describe their vision for Havens Park. The following is a partial listing of ideas and comments discussed during this vision-building exercise:

• Naturalized (Keep it as natural as possible. Natural, but friendly for families. In the City limits, but it doesn’t feel like it. No playgrounds or team sports. Leave it alone!)
• Family (Family gathering areas. Amphitheatre developed using the natural flow of the topography. Events like Haunted Havens.)
• Trails (Bike and walking paths throughout the park. Accessible, natural trails with varying degrees of difficulty for various users. Trails for foot races (5K?) and mountain bike or cyclo-cross races. Shelters strategically located along the trails.)
• Nature park (Nature center. Wilderness/wildlife viewing areas. Designated camping areas.)
• Infrastructure (Drinking water and restroom facilities. Limited/controlled vehicular access. Lights for safety. “Green” elements - solar/wind power, etc.)

Community Meeting #1

The design team met with interested stakeholders at Havens Park on August 5th to discuss the master planning process. The participants were asked to write about their use and perception of the park, the programs and activities offered there, and improvements they would like to see made to the park. After completing the written exercise, the participants discussed these, and other questions, during an open discussion period. The following is a partial listing of their ideas and comments:

• Most participants who used the park listed walking and hiking as the primary activities they do at Havens Park. Other activities included sledding and enjoying the outdoors in the wide open and wooded spaces in the park. It was generally agreed that Haunted Havens was a great success and should be a continuing event at the park. Several participants positively mentioned the bike races held at Havens Park each year.
• The participants were most concerned about vandalism and other illicit activity that happens after dark. Participants expressed concerns about the lack of lighting in the park. Participants were appreciative of local law enforcement who frequently patrol the park at night and expressed thanks to Parks and Recreation staff for their work maintaining the park grounds.
• Generally the participants had a desire to preserve the natural setting of the park. Many people expressed a desire to preserve the large trees and open spaces throughout the park.
• Some of the improvements the participants would like to see made to the park included more and more easily accessible walking/biking trails, picnic tables and shelters, restroom facilities, parking, lights, a natural amphitheatre, an area for festivals or family/community events, nature/wildlife center, botanical gardens, water features, playground, places for tent camping, and trail activities such as an exercise circuit and bird/wildlife identification.
• The participants generally agreed that local law enforcement needed sufficient access to the park to patrol it and minimize damage caused by vandals. Entry gates were recommended by some to minimize vehicle traffic in the park, particularly at night.
• The following parks were mentioned as potential "model parks" for Havens Park:
     Weston Bend Park in Weston, Missouri
     Streamway Park in Johnson County
     Parts of Powell Gardens
     Parts of the Overland Park Arboretum

As the master planning process unfolds, Schwab-Eaton will meet with other stakeholders and interested citizens to further define the vision for Havens Park. Check out the Announcements section to see a schedule of public meetings and events we have planned.

Photos

	The north end of the park is open and accessible to the public.
A gate blocks vehicle access to large portions of the park.	A paved road winds through the western half of the park.
Park users can wander through the woods on several grassed and mulched trails.	Unique rock outcroppings, like this one, appear throughout the park.
The design team and City staff hiked through the park to get a better sense of the area.	An abandoned go-cart track at the park.
Community members met at Havens Park to provide input in the planning process.	Community members discuss the displays with a member of the design team.