The Sunset Empire Park and Recreation District approved a proposal for a new district master plan. Scott Edwards Architecture will review the district’s facilities, programs and develop an overall master plan for the future of the district.

In a design fee overview, Scott Edwards Architecture LLP presented a price of $79,400 for the project, with an additional $5,500 for travel and hourly rates for services.

Skyler Archibald, the district’s executive director , called the plan essential to future park district decisions during the Nov. 22 board of directors meeting.

“I’m really excited about the process,” Archibald said.

Consultants will work with Scott Edwards Architecture project manager Brandon Dole; Sports Facility Advisory, a Florida-based company; Portland-based landscape architects Lango Hansen; and DCW Cost Management, based in Seattle.

The Klosh Group will be retained as the park district’s owner representative.

The plan will be developed after a financial and facilities analysis, public outreach and an outdoor asset condition assessment. The consults will conduct meetings with the district every two weeks and attend the park district’s board meetings to provide project updates. They will present findings, recommendations and next steps to Sunset Empire Park and Recreation District board members, stakeholders and the public.

The bulk of the work will be research with a competitive analysis, a look at other programs from local and foreign competitors, Chris Mastrandea of the Klosh Group, said at the meeting.

The final plan will be delivered in June.

Park district board member Celeste Bodner said the district had already done much of the research and data collection.

“We have a lot of that but I still feel like we’re working without a master roadmap,” Bodner said. “It’s going to be important that the community does not see us redoing the same conversation again.”

The proposal will build on that, using the work already done, Mastrandea said.

Results should provide information for project development, demographics and a plan to address deferred maintenance, he said. “You will come out with a lot of information and guidance. I think you will get what you’re looking for and that’ll become more relevant as we move through the process.”

The plan comes in addition to a Sunset Recreation Center facility plan, recently delivered by Sports Facilities Advisory and Scott Edwards Architects. The former Broadway Middle School was purchased for $2.15 million from the Seaside School District in 2021.

Bodner suggested expanding previous research to find ways to engage tourists. “We balloon from 6,000 to 60,000 on some weekends, and we don’t talk to any of those,” she said. “A lot of them don’t know we’re here.”

Stakeholder meetings will begin in December with staff and the project team, with members of the staff and board, local residents or others with vested interest in the district, Archibald said.

“When we did the SRC (Sunset Recreation Center) planning we had a group for child care adequate for recreation, expansion of recreation programs, for basically using the building to facilitate tourism and economic impact,” Archibald said. “It could be a person from each of those groups.”

The board unanimously approved moving forward.