The City of Irvine is actively soliciting feedback to assist in the development of the Colonel Bill Barber Marine Corps Memorial Park Gymnasium. Community outreach for the project will include several scheduled stakeholder focus groups, a town hall meeting, and various committee meetings that are open to the public. Additional information about each of these outreach efforts is described in more detail below.
STAKEHOLDER FOCUS GROUPS
The City has identified various stakeholder groups associated with the City’s recreation facilities and athletics programs. To date, the City has presented the project at a City Committee meeting and held three stakeholder meetings with various sports groups:
- Irvine Sports Committee: October 10, 2023, at 7:00 p.m., Quail Hill Community Center City staff from the Community Services & Project Delivery and Sustainability (PD&S).
Departments provided an overview of the Bill Barber Gymnasium Capital Improvement Project and answered Committee questions related to the development process.
- Badminton Club Sports Group: October 23, 2023, at 4:00 p.m., City Hall
Participants included volunteer representatives from a badminton club collective consisting of resident badminton enthusiasts. The discussion featured resident need for badminton facilities within the City, the City’s current badminton program, facility design standards and features, examples of other facilities that serve the region, potential revenue opportunities, and estimated participation rates.
- Gymnasium User and Operators Group 1: November 7, 2023, at 8:00 a.m., Online meeting participants included representatives from basketball and volleyball clubs that operate in the City and/or serve residents, as well as representatives of Irvine Unified School District (IUSD) and a private high school. The discussion included existing demand for youth and adult gymnasium activities, issues with scheduling use of IUSD facilities, lack of court availability, examples of various types of gymnasium facilities in the region, design features for a superior indoor athletic facility, and the need for multi-use opportunities within an indoor athletic facility environment.
- Gymnasium User and Operators Group 2: November 8, 2023, at 8:00 a.m., Online meeting participants included representatives from basketball and volleyball clubs that operate in the City and/or serve residents, as well as member/s of the City of Irvine Sports Committee. The discussion included facilities currently used by sports groups, resident participation rates, concerns regarding parking at Bill Barber Park, desired features for multi-use play, court efficiency, spectator seating, court layout, good examples of existing indoor athletic facilities, revenue and partnership opportunities, and main objectives.
As the development process progresses, there will be additional ways to participate in project outcomes via City Committees:
Irvine Sports Committee Meeting: Once alternative concept plans are created, they will be presented to the Committee for review and comment. The meeting date is still being determined.
Community Services Commission Meeting: Alternative concept plans will be presented to the Community Services Commission for review and comment. The meeting date is still being determined.
TOWN HALL
The City of Irvine will hold a community Town Hall at City Hall once conceptual alternatives are developed. For those who are unable to attend the Town Hall, a recording of the meeting will be made available on the project website along with all meeting materials. Participants will have an opportunity to share additional feedback at the meeting and on the project web page. Information from this meeting will be used to develop the preferred design alternative for the gymnasium, and results will be shared on this page at a later date.
Information from the community outreach process will be used to inform the design of the proposed Colonel Bill Barber Marine Corps Memorial Park Gymnasium.
