MIDLAND, Texas — The Midland County Horseshoe Arena is looking to make some new additions.
A new recreation area has already been discussed with Midland County commissioners. Now, those involved with the projects are looking to gather community support.
Tim Hair, the vice president of Dunaway Associates, is one person helping to design the new additions and was at a public meeting on Thursday discussing the potential recreation area.
“The commissioners' court approved a list of what we call program elements, [such as] trails, playground, dog parks, shade trees and and open lawn area. there's a whole list we'll go through," Hair said. "So we want the community's feedback on, what does that look like? What does it feel like? Wow can we make it as nice for the community as possible?”
Hair and Horseshoe leaders are trying to get community input before they begin the project rather than during or after it.
They believe that, if people see their ideas implemented into the project, it will create a sense that the new trails truly belong to them.
“When we get community input in the early stages of a project, for one it helps guide the design ideas," Hair said. "Then two, it gives them ownership to the community so that when they do see the finished product, they can see their ideas and their feedback in the park and it just makes it more ownership of the community in the space.”
The Horseshoe is a hotspot for all kinds of events, such as Comic-Cons and video game tournaments, making the addition of new parks or trails a benefit for anyone who pays a visit.
“The horseshoe is a little bit disconnected from other park spaces in the city and even in the county, but it serves a critical role because there are so many people who come in from out of town for events who come here for family events, for birthday parties, and for graduations," Hair said. "We want the improvements here to serve every one of those user groups but then also especially the surrounding neighborhoods.”
According to Horseshoe Director Ken Olson, they will also be looking to connect this area to other parts of Midland.
“What we are investigating is, what other areas we could connect this to. Maybe I-20 Wildlife Preserve, maybe the Petroleum Museum and then continuing further out as this grows, which we hope it does," Olson said. "Just making it more involved in the community and connect the community more to.”
The hope is that, after community input is gathered, those findings can be presented to the county commissioners by July, with a final master plan being brought in by this November.