Ball fields are a major topic of discussion lately in Covington and Maple Valley.

At its Aug. 31 Town Hall meeting, Maple Valley officials presented information about ball fields planned for the Summit Pit — not to be confused with Summit Place, also known as the donut hole.

Parks planning has also been on the minds of Covington staff members as Parks and Recreation Director Scott Thomas has been working on a master plan for that city’s Community Park at 180th Avenue Southeast and Southeast 240th Street as well as developing blueprint for long term parks and recreation development.

Staff and Council members from Covington, Maple Valley and Black Diamond will participate in a joint meeting Sept. 22. Among the agenda items for that meeting is shared parks and recreation facility planning.

The Summit Pit site which is 22.75 acres with 19.8 of it undeveloped located at state Route 169 and S.E. 276th Street, west of the Les Schwab store. Maple Valley purchased the property from the Tahoma School District in November 2006 for $755,145.

There are numerous recreational athletic associations in the city ranging from Maple Valley Lacrosse to Maple Valley Youth Soccer Association to youth baseball and the city’s adult parks and recreation leagues.

The city has only one field at Lake Wilderness, which is why so many local sports leagues use Tahoma School District facilities.

When Brown first presented information to the Maple Valley City Council last spring regarding the start of work on the Summit Pit master plan the intent was to get the work done in 2008.

Instead, circumstances caused Brown and his staff to switch gears temporarily.

“We moved into high gear with the Lodge renovation project and construction on that project lasted from June 2008 – May 2009,” he said. “We are just getting started with the master plan.”

With the master plan process, a stakeholder group will be created to advise staff, according to information Brown provided in a PowerPoint that was presented during the Town Hall meeting Aug. 31.

The city is looking for two citizens at large for that stakeholder group.

In addition, Maple Valley will host public meetings to collect feedback, conduct surveys via the city’s Web site and make presentations to agencies.

A recommendation for a consultant will be presented to the Council in September with the master plan process set to start in September or October. Public input will be gathered in October and November while design alternatives will be developed in November and December.

The Council will receive a review of the draft master plan in January with additional comments from residents taken in January and February with Council approval tentatively expected to come in the spring.

Construction on phase one could begin in 2011 with phase two work starting going on in 2012 and 2013.

Covington has no athletic fields and Kent School District fields are also in use for athletic groups.

The Covington City Council approved a master plan for the park in February and now staff are working with a consultant on design for the project.

“The first phase of that design is under way right now and it’s leading us toward construction in 2011,” Thomas said. “It’s going to be a lot more park than anything the city has at the moment. It’s probably going to be one of the two ore three most significant parks in are system.”

This particular park falls into the “community park” category, Thomas explained, “so it’s big and people from all over the community will use it.”

“It is going to be an anchor,” he said. “It’s going to be a place that has something for everyone in the community. It’s very exciting.”

Thomas is also working on the Parks, Recreation and Open Space Plan, which will provide him with a to do list for facilities the city will need to meet the wants and needs of its residents.

Covington will also host community forums to gather public input this fall on the plan and Thomas suggested that anyone who is interested in parks and recreation planning to attend and offer their thoughts.

Add to those plans what King County has on the drawing board in Ravensdale at Gracie Hansen where ball fields will be added that could serve 10,000 residents in the Ravensdale and Georgetown areas east of Maple Valley.

Currently the site just two miles east of Four Corners has four fields.

There will be two or three new ball fields there, family friendly open space such as a grassy area for picnics and play, as well as trails, and other amenities.

Like Covington and Maple Valley, a master plan was developed during an 18 months process that wrapped up in June 2008, with representatives from area youth sports organizations like the baseball council met as well as groups like the Four Creeks Area Council and Friends of Rock Creek met with county officials to hammer out a master plan.

And like the two cities, the trick will be finding money for the project, but having a master plan in place for all of those facilities will help.

Once all three parks are finished there will be eight to 10 fields between the two cities in addition to the six or seven at Ravensdale Park. That will be a significant step up from one site in Maple Valley and a few fields in unincorporated King County.

Now it’s a matter of the master plans being developed, the money to be raised and construction to be done.

Ball fields will continue to be a topic of discussion in Covington and Maple Valley for the foreseeable future.