Possible changes coming to Ross Park

Editor’s Note: The original version of this story implied that the Ross Park master plan was finalized; there may be adjustments to the plan in the future. Corrections were made to reflect that this is an ongoing planning project.

Pocatello’s busiest park may be changing soon, and city officials are excited about the updates.

On Thursday, the City Council unanimously voted to continue studying the Parks and Recreation Department’s master plan for Ross Park.

Months of public input led the department to focus on adding more parking, connecting the upper and lower areas of the park and rerouting 2nd Avenue.

Of the 250 respondents to a survey, many people were concerned about the dangers of 2nd Avenue, the road that runs between the aquatic complex and the zoo. Parents worry that children may run into the road when going back and forth from the pool to the playground area.

The city plans to reroute that road, and instead have it run behind the pool along the train tracks. Neighbors in the area were concerned about privacy issues, so the city plans to plant trees along the road to help with that.

The city hopes to address the issue of the disconnect between upper and lower Ross Park by adding a road that would connect 4th and 5th avenues to both areas of the park. That road would run near the Veterans Memorial site because it wouldn’t require extensive blasting.

More plans to update the park include adding more picnic areas, more parking, updating the skate park and possibly even creating an overnight camp site.

More details about the plan and public comments can be found here.

There will be more opportunities for public input.