Carbondale Parks

The City's 2010 Comprehensive Plan undertook a comprehensive study of the city's parks, nature preserves, trails, and surrounding natural areas. It's worth looking back at that study, undertaken 10 years ago. (Jane Adams was a member of the Citizen Advisory Board.)

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The Comprehensive Plan made the following recommendation:

 

Focus on parks and recreation improvements as a means for elevating neighborhood viability. ... [H]ighlight the importance of clean, safe, well-maintained, and vibrant neighborhood parks as an anchor for strong, established neighborhoods. 

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The Plan shows 502.5 acres of parks within the city limits (click here for map of parks). It provides an overview of existing parks (pp.10)). It states, "Over the last three decades. the Park District has grown to about 500 acres of parkland, both developed and undeveloped, in 13 locations throughout the community. These parks are supplemented by the institutional resources of Southern Illinois University, and the nature preserves maintained by Green Earth, Inc."

 

Since then the Splash Park has been built on Park District land with contributions by the City.  The Plan also noted citizen support for a downtown park, a skateboard park, and a dog park. Fundraising and design of a dog park is currently under way by a volunteer group, Friends of Carbondale's Dog Parks. It will be sited at Parrish Park. (Jane Adams and Kirsten Trimble are members of FCDP.)

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The Comprehensive Plan stated, "A system of parks and recreation areas is not complete without linear linkages between park facilities, neighborhoods, schools and other public use facilities." A plan for such a system has been spoken of over the years with some planning among the four major institutions (SIU, City, Park District, Green Earth), as well as IDOT, has occurred.