Mason is opening two public sessions on Tuesday, Oct. 27, for residents to help shape a $400,000 Parks Master Plan that will guide the city's park system through 2027 and beyond.

A morning session runs from 9 a.m. to noon at the Mason Community Center, 6050 Mason Montgomery Road.

An evening session runs from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Mason Municipal Center Community Room, 6000 Mason Montgomery Road. City staff member Allison Hampton posted both events on the Imagine Mason website on Oct. 21.

The sessions mark a turning point in a planning process that has been in the works for more than a year. The plan carries a $400,000 budget and is not expected to be completed until the end of 2027, according to notes published by Mason City Council member Joy Bennett from an October 2025 Finance Committee meeting.

Real projects are waiting on the outcome. Bennett wrote that city staff told the Finance Committee they would not begin construction at Gould Park until after 2027, when the master plan is finished. The committee deferred the Gould Park project, agreeing the construction was justified and funded but that the timing should wait for the completed plan.

By late 2025, the city had issued a request for proposals for the master plan. Bennett wrote in her November 2025 Arts and Culture Committee notes that the process would involve public input, a steering committee and meetings with groups including sports organizations and neighborhood representatives.

Park Board members had pushed for the master plan to move forward. Bennett wrote in her July 2025 committee notes that board members wanted individual park projects to fit into a citywide vision and questioned the pace of the process.

Both Oct. 27 sessions are free and open to all Mason residents. No registration requirement appeared in the city's event listings.

Upcoming

  • Tuesday, Oct. 27: Parks Master Plan Public Engagement Session, 9 a.m.–noon, Mason Community Center, 6050 Mason Montgomery Road
  • Tuesday, Oct. 27: Parks Master Plan Public Engagement Session, 5–7 p.m., Mason Municipal Center Community Room, 6000 Mason Montgomery Road