Completed as a portion of the Putnam County Park, Recreation and Open Space (PROS) Plan, the Valley Park Master Plan project encompassed renovation plans for a popular 60- acre park in Hurricane, West Virginia.

The existing park was designed and built in fragmented phases, and presented several challenges as a result. GAI’s Community Solutions Group (CSG) team worked closely with the Putnam County Parks and Recreation Commission, the owners of the facility, to identify key issues and problems, and to create design solutions.

The master planning process began with an in-depth look at the park’s existing infrastructure, facilities, amenities, context, and connections to the surrounding neighborhoods and region. Following the assessment stage, programmatic elements were investigated and considered in response to the needs identified during the county-wide study. Once it was determined how Valley Park positively supports the county’s recreational needs, and which opportunities were potentially available to better serve the community and region, the design team brought forth a master plan that leverages the park’s already valuable assets and creates additional amenities to strengthen it and the county-wide system at large.

Once master planning was complete, the design team moved into development of construction documents and permitting. GAI’s CSG team lead construction administration for the nearly 2-year-long improvement project, which opened to the public in May of 2018.