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What We Heard

Public engagement has been central to the planning process. Since December 2025, engagement has included stakeholder interviews, two community workshops, and a Funding & Recreation Facility Poll.

The first community workshop drew approximately 90 in-person attendees and 60 online participants. Participants emphasized trail connectivity and Highway 24 safety, recreation facilities and aquatics, sustainable funding, park access and maintenance, user conflicts, and better wayfinding.

The Funding & Recreation Facility Poll received 196 responses and explored community willingness to fund a recreation center as well as preferred indoor amenities.

At the second community workshop, 67 people participated in person and 34 participated online. Almost all participants supported some form of dedicated funding for parks and recreation. The highest-ranked trail priorities were safer Highway 24 crossings, bike and pedestrian continuity along Main Street, and a second public pedestrian bridge across the Arkansas River. Top park priorities included renovation of McPhelemy Park, continued implementation of the Rodeo Grounds & Chicago Ranch Master Plan, and River Park parking and circulation improvements.

What We Learned

Buena Vista already has a strong recreation system. The Town exceeds national averages for both the number of parks and total park acreage relative to its population. Buena Vista also has approximately 18.4 miles of trails, substantially more than the national median for communities of a similar size.

The assessment also identified important challenges. Many existing amenities will require renovation or replacement within the next decade, tourism places additional pressure on aging facilities, and the community has gaps in amenities such as athletic fields, tennis courts, and swimming pools. Trail connectivity also remains a major priority, particularly safer Highway 24 crossings, continuity along Main Street, and another public crossing of the Arkansas River.

The programming analysis found strengths in youth sports, pickleball, adaptive programming, outdoor recreation, special events, and summer camp. Opportunities for future programming include senior and older-adult recreation, teen and youth development, after-school and school-break activities, adaptive recreation, and youth outdoor skills and nature education. The plan also recognizes the importance of supporting rather than competing with local recreation providers.

Our Draft Vision

“Recreation is core to how Buena Vista lives: on the Arkansas, on the trails, and in the parks throughout town.”

The draft vision centers on three commitments: caring for what we already have, connecting the recreation system to people of every age and ability, and building the year-round recreation opportunities the community has asked for. It also recognizes that accomplishing these goals will require sustainable funding that reflects the residents and visitors who benefit from the system.

Draft Plan Goals

The draft Recreation & Outdoor Master Plan establishes seven goals:

Care for what we have first. Maintain and improve existing parks, trails, and open spaces before expanding the system.
Establish sustainable funding. Develop a dedicated funding mechanism supported by residents and visitors who benefit from Buena Vista's recreation system.
Connect the community. Complete a network that people of every age and ability can use without relying on a car.
Expand year-round recreation. Provide facilities and programming throughout the year, including aquatics.
Steward the Arkansas River. Protect and manage the river corridor as a natural, public, and shared community asset.
Fill programming gaps. Focus Town programming where needs exist while supporting, rather than competing with, local providers.
Build through partnerships. Continue working with community organizations, agencies, businesses, and other partners rather than expecting the Town to do it alone.

Draft Park & Trail Priorities

Draft recommendations have been developed using the system inventory, facility assessments, stakeholder conversations, and community input. Projects are being organized by priority and implementation timeframe. Trail recommendations have also been shared with the team updating Buena Vista's Transportation Master Plan so the two planning efforts can work together.

Recommended park projects include improvements at McPhelemy Park, Uptown Wave, Rock & Roll Trail at River Park, South Town Square, Columbine Park, River Park, the Rodeo Grounds & Chicago Ranch, Forest Square Park, and other Town recreation properties.

Creating Sustainable Recreation Funding

One of the clearest findings of the planning process is that Buena Vista's recreation system needs a sustainable funding strategy.

Currently, park maintenance and recreation programming are funded through the Town's General Fund without a dedicated revenue source. The draft analysis estimates that maintaining existing parks, trails, and programming at sustainable service levels requires approximately $500,000 in additional annual funding.

The draft plan evaluates several potential funding tools, including a 0.25% Town sales tax, which is estimated to generate approximately $485,000 annually, and a potential 2% County lodging tax increase, estimated to generate approximately $190,000 annually. Grants, developer contributions, and private donations could supplement these sources. These are planning recommendations and potential funding strategies—not adopted taxes or ballot measures.

What About a Recreation Center?

A recreation center continues to be an important community conversation. The 2024 Recreation Survey found that 77.5% of respondents identified a need for an indoor pool and recreation center, while the project's Funding & Recreation Facility Poll found that 67% of respondents wanted a recreation center and indicated willingness to support it through property taxes.

The draft analysis estimates that construction could cost approximately $18–$32 million, depending on facility size and amenities, with ongoing operating expenses of approximately $1.6–$2.2 million annually. The analysis therefore concludes that a Town sales tax or County lodging tax alone would not be sufficient to fund a recreation center.

Rather than recommending immediate construction, the draft plan outlines a potential path beginning with creation of a community task force to explore service-area boundaries, community support, governance, financing, and the potential formation of a special district.

What's Next?

The Recreation & Outdoor Master Plan is still in draft form. The project team is completing the action plan, which will bring the recommendations together with:

Implementation timelines
Initial project and construction cost estimates
Ongoing operations, maintenance, and staffing impacts
Suggested partners
Potential funding sources

Once complete, the Master Plan will provide a long-term roadmap for maintaining what Buena Vista already has, improving connections throughout the community, expanding recreation opportunities, and making thoughtful investments in the future.

Stay Involved

Thank you to everyone who has participated so far. Community input has directly shaped the draft vision, goals, park and trail priorities, programming recommendations, and funding strategies.

Continue to check this page for the Draft Recreation & Outdoor Master Plan, upcoming public meetings, opportunities to provide feedback, and information about the final plan.