New Iowa City park taking shape

A former sandpit is taking shape as Iowa City's biggest playground.

Covering 207 acres on the city's south side, Terry Trueblood Recreation Area is Iowa City's biggest and newest park. It includes a 95.5-acre lake that already is used by fishers, but the water and a recently completed trail are the only prominent amenities at the park.

That soon will change. An announcement is expected Jan. 12 on funding from the state's Vision Iowa board to help build a lodge. Also, a marina facility, boat ramp, parking lot and park shelter are scheduled to open next year.

The park sits along the Iowa River off South Gilbert Street on land that used to be a sand and gravel quarry. It's a part of town that city planners expect to see developed in the future.

“We knew it would be a nice area and they didn't want it to go to commercial,” said Mike Moran, Iowa City's director of parks and recreation.

The park is named after Terry Trueblood, who was the parks and recreation director from 1986 until his death from cancer in 2009.

The city bought the land in 2006 and the park has been open to the public, but most of its development is new or still to come. The trail opened this past summer, and the master plan was recently updated.

That plan puts an emphasis on water features. No other Iowa City park has an enclosed body of water near the size of Trueblood park's lake.

“It's a different kind of park from what we've had before,” City Council member Mike Wright said. “There's a small lake in it, which lends itself to new opportunities,”

In addition to the marina and boat ramp, fishing jetties and a canoe landing are planned. Only nonmotorized boats are allowed.

There also will be a beach that is a couple of hundred yards long, but no lifeguards, Moran said. The deepest spot in the lake is nine feet, he said.

The water already is getting some non-traditional uses. David Baculis Jr. was standing on the iced over surface on a recent morning guiding his radio-controlled airplane flying above. He also has a radio-controlled boat and has fished in the lake, and said more and more people are discovering the park.

“I think a lot more people were using this in the summertime” than ever before, said Baculis, 38, who lives in a nearby mobile home park run by his family.

Another prominent feature will be a lodge with a capacity of 150 people. It could be used for weddings and receptions, conferences and educational opportunities, Moran said.

The city asked the Vision Iowa board for $2 million for the lodge. Board members liked the project, although Moran said it's unlikely the city will receive the full amount.

Developing the park is estimated at $6.35 million; adding in the land purchases makes it an $8 million project. The city has committed $3.8 million for development, with other funding coming from a state grant ($200,000), the Iowa City Parks and Recreation Foundation ($91,000) and the Johnson County Board of Supervisors ($20,000).

Fundraising will be used to come up with the balance, which Moran said would be about $100,000 if Vision Iowa contributes $2 million.

Four phases of development are planned, and if all goes as expected, the park should be finished in 2012, Moran said.