LAWTON — Lawton resident Rebecca Zamarripa said she would like to see the city expand some of the attractions at Elmer Thomas Park and find ways to keep the park clean.
“I’ve been here since the seventh grade when Elmer Thomas at first was just a little lake,” she said. “It has really grown and become really a beautiful place, and I want to make sure that it stays that way.”
Zamarripa and other Lawton residents flocked to City Hall for a Feb. 7 meeting about Elmer Thomas Park, hosted by the Texas-based engineering firm Halff Associates. Halff is gathering information that will help the company develop a conceptual plan for the entire park.
Boards with pictures of Elmer Thomas Park, its existing attractions, and possible new amenities were set up around the banquet room at Lawton City Hall. People attending the meeting studied each of the boards, then wrote their suggestions for improving the park on Post-It Notes.
The Post-It Notes, which were posted on a board asking people to talk about their vision for the park, including these suggestions:
“Skate park is what’s missing.”
Elmer Thomas Park is missing a concrete skatepark (skateboarding).”
“Lots of trees, please!”
“It is fine as now configured,”
“I like it the way it is.”
Lawton resident Robert Zabielski said he and his wife frequently use the walking trails in Elmer Thomas Park, and he objected to the city’s plan to build a youth sports complex in the park. He noted that city officials have since backed away from that plan.
Officials are currently considering other possible sites for the sports complex, which was not part of the discussion at the Feb. 7 meeting.
Zabielski said he wanted to make sure that Halff Associates collects people’s suggestions for Elmer Thomas Park, submits them to the Lawton City Council, and turns them into an addendum to the conceptual plan for the park. He added that he did not think the park needs any new features.
“Leave it alone,” he said. “If it works, don’t fix it.”
Some people who attended the meeting said they would like to see the city build a skate park in Elmer Thomas in addition to the existing skate park, located at Southwest 38th Street and Lee Boulevard.
“More modern, with some cement ramps and stuff like that,” said Lawton resident Walter Smith. “Since it’s right next to the schools, the kids can come in there after school. It would just be a good area for it.”
Gathering information
Halff Associates will review people’s comments and take them into account when drafting a conceptual plan for the park, said landscape architect James Hazzard.
“In addition to that, we are working with a steering committee specifically for this park that will provide guidance on how to move forward with the comments received,” he said. “Ultimately, we will prepare a draft concept based on all of this feedback from the steering committee and present that concept in about a month.”
The company will host a second public meeting to discuss the conceptual plan, which will include a question-and-answer session. After that meeting, the company will draw up a master plan for the park and present it to the Lawton City Council in late March.