• Pickleball, skateboarding and splash pad are options. 

So as not to interfere with this Thursday’s Community of Kindness event scheduled from 4-7 p.m. at the Afton Civic Center, the Town of Afton scheduled their Parks Master Plan for right afterwards at the town hall.

“We didn’t want to overlap,” stated Mayor Jeff Jensen during an interview with the Weekday Wake-up. “So after you attend the ‘kindness’ event, please come over and let us know your thoughts.”

Jensen also said that this presentation had been a long time coming as the town hired a consultant to create it. The plan will try and incorporate several different community suggestions to improve the amenities within the town. Jensen stated at the last town council meeting that the parks are potential destinations for those that visit the town and make their stops.

Some of the ideas are sure to create excitement and discussion among Afton residents.

“Pickleball courts are a big one.,” he said. “A skate park is a thought as well that our young people have asked about. We want the public input on the master plan which will also discuss how we would go about funding and doing things in an organized way.”

A water feature such as a splash pad will also be part of the discussion, which includes both Star View and Canyon View Parks.

“We’d also like to see a play area more in the trees and such,” Jensen said. “Star View Park is looking at a little amphitheater which would double as an ice-skating rink. Making things a little better than they are now. We would also like to create a connection from that park to the downtown area.

The Parks Master Plan presentation is scheduled for 7 p.m. Thursday, February 29, at the Afton Town Hall.

Jensen also gave an update on a few other topics of note for Afton residents and visitors. One of which was Swift Creek Canyon which experienced a major slide last year. One that may not be done shifting.

“The slide, I feel, was only about 20-25-percent of what’s up there,” Jensen said, reiterating that he is no expert. “The spring and how wet it is will going to determine what is going to happen. We’re hoping that it’s stable but we are very conscious of it. We can’t fly a drone due to FAA rules unless we can see it and it’s difficult to see it right now.”

Another update from Jensen was related to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and their dispute with the town’s water safety.

“Last year, the town staff did an awesome job of recreating a pipe coming out of the intermittent spring which came down to a storage tank and we tested that water,” he said. “All the previous tests that had come back had been taken further down in our system so we wanted to eliminate that. All the tests came back as zero. We took three to four of the same tests and took them to different labs and made sure there are no issues with a single sample. They all came back at zero.”

There is no timeline for the EPA to respond.

“It’s in the EPA’s hands now on what their thoughts are on the matter,” Jensen stated. “We have our opinion and think they should concur that our water source is protected and it’s clean and it’s good.”