April 2010 - Parks & Recreation - 38

What was formerly an 11-acre drainage basin in Fresno, California, made an excellent paintball park.

From Basin to Battle
Cooper also delivered what his community of Fresno was looking for-more adventure sports. After developing a superfund
site in 2003 into a regional sportsplex, the park and recreation
agency wanted to expand on the offerings there. A drainage basin adjacent to the site was full of water in the winter months, but
in the spring and summer, it provided open recreation space.
" We wanted to maximize the space we had to accommodate
the needs of the community, " Cooper says. In 2006, the agency
partnered with an independent operator to provide paintball at
the 11-acre site. The partner operates the paintball park, providing active recreation for residents, while Fresno Parks and Recreation collects revenue from parking fees.
Developing the site did have a few challenges-it took a year
to obtain an environmental permit allowing paintball in the area.
The paint used must be vegetable oil-based so as not to harm
the environment. This year the paintball facility will host a regional tournament, bringing further recognition to the area.

From Trash to Treasure
The community of Love Grove outside of Wilmington, North
Carolina, lived up to its name. It was a close-knit residential
area whose residents were active in the community. However, a closed landfill nearby blighted the otherwise well-kept
neighborhood.
Where others saw trash, Carla Isom-Thorpe and the department of public services saw an opportunity. For seven years,
the city of Wilmington considered the property, but it wasn't
until July 2009 that it took action and used funds from a 2006
bond to start renovations to build a park.
" We hired a consultant for environmental testing and sampling to get the greenlight, " Isom-Thorpe says. Once the project got underway, the public services department began
holding meetings with the adjacent neighborhood to solicit
feedback on the project. According to Isom-Thorpe, everyone
seemed excited about the project and the community had little
concern about environmental issues.
The city followed state guidelines that required them to remove soil rather than cap the existing foundation. The city had
to transport the contaminated soil to another county to dispose
of it and then bring in fresh soil to create a new base. The earthwork cost about 25 percent of the project's $1.2 million budget.

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Talk of the Town
When converting space,
conversation is key.
Every park and recreation professional knows that the
key to creating a new park is to gather community input. This is even more true when converting something
old into something new.
When Carla Isom-Thorpe was creating Archie Blue
Community Park over the site of an old landfill in Love
Grove, North Carolina, she expected to hear concerns
from residents about possible contamination. So she
thought to get everyone on board by holding a neighborhood meeting. What she found was overwhelming
excitement for the project and ended up holding 20
neighborhood meetings to hear the community's input.
" Residents were so supportive of the project, " she
explains. " They were a tremendous help and had some
really great ideas about what amenities the park should
include. "
Kelly Davis, project manager for special projects
with Fairfax County Park Authority, says that citizen
input also changed the way her agency's Laurel Hill Park
was planned. After hearing concerns from citizens, her
agency started bus tours of the proposed park land for
community groups that were interested in seeing more.
Archie Blue Community Park,
Love Grove, North Carolina

April 2010 - Parks & Recreation

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