Parks, Partners, and Plans: Roundtable Welcomes Willamalane Staff on 20-Year Comprehensive Plan
The Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce’s recent Roundtable featured Eric Adams, Planning, Parks, and Facilities Director, and Kenny Weigandt, Community Engagement Director, of Willamalane Park and Recreation District, who provided an in-depth look at the district’s recently adopted Comprehensive Plan. Approved by the Board of Directors in September 2023, the plan serves as a strategic guide for Springfield’s parks, facilities, and recreation programs over the next 20 years.
Developed with input from more than 3,800 community members, the plan reflects local needs and aspirations while establishing a framework for prioritizing projects and fiscal planning. With a focus on creating engaging and inclusive spaces, the vision aims to promote health, well-being, and a high quality of life for all district residents.
This Roundtable discussion highlighted the long-term impact of the plan and how it will shape the future of recreation in Springfield. Starting off, Adams and Weigandt described Willamalane’s core programs and services, including an impressive 45 parks, 10 waterfront areas, 29 miles of hiking and biking trails, and 27 playgrounds that serve around 65,000 people. On top of their over 1,600 acres of natural areas, Willamalane also offers a variety of classes and sports opportunities at facilities like the Bob Keefer Center, Adult Activity Center, Splash! indoor water park, Willamalane Swim Center, and Camp Putt.
Throughout the presentation, Adams and Weigandt brought up examples of how the Comprehensive Plan has been put into action over the past year already. They highlighted the success of their Park Ranger program, which has greatly improved park safety, community touchpoint opportunities, and overall sense of belonging for users in their parks. The three Rangers they employ have a wealth of training and knowledge, including DPSST certification, trauma-informed care, and de-escalation tactics, which have led to overwhelmingly positive interactions throughout the communities they interface with on a daily basis.
Another key component of the Comprehensive Plan includes building and maintaining strong partnerships with government agencies, other public entities, and the private sector. These range from being part of Team Springfield that includes the City of Springfield, Springfield Utility Board, and Springfield Public Schools, to the Rivers to Ridges partnership that holistically collaborates on environmental protection and enhancement opportunities in the region.
The newly opened Tiny Ducks Preschool is another example of a successful partnership, in this case with the University of Oregon, that directly addresses a strong need for increased childcare in the community. In fact, this partnership began to develop between Willamalane and the University at a Springfield Chamber of Commerce meeting; as the Chamber’s 2024 Business Climate Survey revealed, access to child care was one of the key areas that members felt would improve the business climate locally.
And while Willamalane primarily serves residents in the Springfield area, they noted the growing number of visitors that frequent the area to participate in Willamalane programs and recreate in their parks and open spaces.
“Between our volleyball tournaments and gymnastics meets at the Bob Keefer Center, which bring in around 20,000 people each, there’s a real opportunity for tourism– a lot of those people are coming from out of town, especially for volleyball. There’s a lot of opportunity for Springfield to capitalize on that kind of growth.”
– Kenny Weigandt, Community Engagement Director, Willamalane Parks & Recreation
After their presentation, a discussion with attendees brought up a range of perspectives and questions.
As a representative from Travel Lane County brought up, Willamalane’s goals fit into a larger picture of tourism throughout Springfield and beyond, noting that their popular volleyball tournaments and gymnastics meets bring in roughly $5M in revenue for the local economy.
Another attendee asked about plans to expand indoor recreation space, as “shoulder season” recreation growth is often cited as a major opportunity by the Springfield Chamber and its members. While there are no current projects underway to increase indoor facility space, Weigandt and Adams shared that Willamalane is working on an inventory of potential space and looking into what opportunities exist for expanding current properties.
Roundtable attendees, representing a variety of industries and organizations, were welcome to stay after the presentation to ask questions of presenters one on one, and network with one another. The Chamber was pleased to have a participant from their Student Access Pass program, a Thurston High School senior, as an engaged member of the audience.
The Springfield Chamber is grateful for Willamalane’s support and dedication to the communities they serve to provide excellent parks and recreation opportunities. They would like to thank Kenny Weigandt and Eric Adams for sharing their Comprehensive Plan with Roundtable attendees, and invites readers to learn more at willamalane.org/future.
More about Chamber Roundtable
The Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce‘s monthly Chamber Roundtable Series fosters interactive discussions on legislation and policy, community and economic development, and workforce and talent. Quarterly, these Roundtables will be coupled with an on-location business tour exploring some of the many unique industry leaders throughout the Springfield area.
