The Issaquah Parks and Recreation Department is in the process of updating its Parks, Recreation, Open Space and Trails Plan, and is soliciting the community for support.

The plan is updated every five or six years and details long and short term goals for the city, said Parks and Recreation Planner Margaret Macleod. However, the department is in the earliest stage of planning and no distinct goals have been set.

“We have no specific plans laid out yet because we really want to hear what the public desires are,” Macleod said. “That’s our focus right now.”

The plan was last updated in 2004 with a goal statement of “fostering and supporting the stewardship of historical, cultural and natural resources throughout our community … that serves the needs of the residents of the city of Issaquah and the surrounding area.”

The first step was to host two public input workshops last week where residents could ask questions and offer suggestions as to what direction they would like to see Issaquah’s parks go in.

Macleod said while turnout to the meetings was not quite what they had hoped, they were able to get a good sense of what directions and ideas are important to people.

Popular topics were Issaquah Creek, the addition of more synthetic turf fields, expanding the urban trail network, renovating the community pool, adding more dog parks, and providing more mountain biking opportunities, she said.

“It was pretty general conversation, but it did show us what people were interested in,” Macleod said.

The workshops were also a chance for people to participate in a focus group study done by Bellevue-based Herbert Research.

About eight people were pulled in for the survey, and discussed in detail what their needs and desires are for a city park system, and their current satisfaction with Issaquah’s parks, among other things.

Herbert Research will also be conducting a random telephone survey of city residents in late April or early May to get additional opinions on the parks system.

Once all the public input has been collected, the Parks Department will put together a draft plan, which will be available to the public for review. The draft should be ready in late May, Macleod said. It will then go through the Planning Policy Commission and the City Council before approval.

Macleod said she expects to receive significantly more public comments once the draft is actually developed and going through the review process.

“When someone has something that they can actually review and respond to, it really increases public participation,” she said. “We’re not really sure what to expect for responses, but that’s the whole point: to get people involved in our planning.”

The city is focusing on a handful of objectives during the updating process: balancing parks development with environmental protection, resource management, preserving and enhancing natural beauty, and maintaining for future generations, among other things.

“It’s never easy to tell what’s going to be the big thing, but people are really interested in the process,” Macleod said. “They are really passionate about their open spaces and want to protect and preserve as much as possible.”

For more information on the updating process, go to www.ci.issaquah.wa.us.