The Town of Yucca Valley hosted two meetings to gather public input on the Community Center Master Plan. Doug Grove of RHA Landscape Architects Planners, Inc., led both meetings. The town has created a three-phase rollout for the development: Phase 1 is the construction of pickleball courts, Phase 2 is the construction of new basketball courts and an expanded parking lot, and Phase 3 is a redesign of the existing skate park.
The first meeting was dedicated to the first two phases of the project. The design currently includes nine regular pickleball courts, two tournament courts, two full basketball courts and two half-courts, roughly 26 additional parking stalls, bathrooms, patio space, shade structures, and more. Residents voiced their opinions and critiques on the design; there was a consensus that increasing the number of courts would be desired, as well as screening to block the wind around both courted areas. Shade structures were also favored, though Mr. Grove noted the current budget would not support full court coverage.
The town held a second meeting on Phase 3, or the redesign of the existing skate park; Aaron Spohn of Spohn Ranch Skateparks gathered community input on the drafted design. While square footage is the main constraint, attendees agreed that the design needs to be enhanced to be both hospitable for beginners and challenging for experienced skaters. When one community member raised the question of security and crime, Spohn had an answer.
“I will tell you though that skate parks reduce crime. You activate an area with a bunch of kids that are out there having a good time, and the people that would hang out and maybe cause those problems don’t hang out there anymore. The best thing we can do to reduce crime is to design a really well-used skate park.”
Spohn suggested organizing an online design session with visual elements for community members to share ideas. As funding is still to be determined for the skate park, there is still time to find grants and increase the project’s budget.
The town will hold a second meeting for public input on Wednesday, May 15. Phase 1 of the project is anticipated to begin in October and to be completed sometime next spring.
