Public meeting: Community input on the new Horseshoe Arena Recreation Area

MIDLAND, Texas (KOSA) - The City of Midland is taking significant steps to involve the community in the development of the new Horseshoe Arena Recreation Area. A public meeting was held to discuss the project, encouraging residents to share their ideas and help shape the future of this recreational space.

The meeting aimed to provide an opportunity for the community to learn about the project’s purpose and timeline. Ken Olson, Director of the Horseshoe Arena, emphasized the importance of community involvement:

Gathering community input before finalizing any plans was a key focus of the meeting. Tim Hair, Vice President of Dunaway, highlighted the importance of ownership and community engagement in the project saying, “Everybody will have more ownership in whatever the plans ends up being for the Horseshoe. With some of these recreational elements and trails and play areas and things like that where they can see their own input in the final plan.”

Although the project is in its initial stages, it has been in development for the past few months with the Commissioners Court and a special committee formed specifically for this purpose. Hair added, “From this public meeting, we will gather notes and all the input and then start thinking about how that translates to the design of these different elements and the Horseshoe property, and then work with the committee on those.”

The committee includes city council members, a member of the Chamber of Midland, a member of the Commissioner’s Court, Horseshoe representatives, and other local leaders. They hope to create an outdoor space that the entire community can enjoy, whether visiting for a weekend or living in the area. Hair also envisions the project as a welcoming entry point for Midland:

Though the meeting has concluded, the committee continues to encourage community feedback. “Now that we’ve gotten the ideas down that we want to, it’s time to bring the community in, get feedback and get information and see what they want at their park,” said Olson.

While there have not been discussions about hosting another public meeting, the presentation from tonight’s meeting was recorded and will be posted for public viewing. A QR code with a survey will also be available for community members to provide feedback if they missed the meeting.

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