LUBBOCK, Texas — The City of Lubbock’s Parks and Recreation Department on Tuesday unveiled a 20-year master plan that will invest in dozens of new playgrounds, splashpads and walking trails, revitalize public pools and reimagine the city’s relationship with the outdoors.

Following 18 months of planning and extensive surveying of more than 5,000 residents, the city delivered a presentation at Citizens Tower that outlined a revamp of public spaces they said responded directly to the public’s wishes.

Lubbock citizens said their top three desires for outdoor spaces were renovations for existing parks, new walking and biking trails and new splash pads. Parks and Recreation says this plan will bring in 12 new playgrounds, 12 new trails and 3 new splashpads over the next few years.

“We now have a guidance tool for us to move forward and see how we can go about bettering ourselves and making Lubbock a really great place to live,” Lubbock’s Park Development Director Kalee Robinson said. “That’s one of our main responsibilities, to help people really enjoy life here in the beautiful city of Lubbock, Texas.”

Hunter Blanchard, a longtime pickleball enthusiast and president of the budding sport’s local organization, said he’s most excited for the 16 new courts planned for McAlister Park.

“There’s a lack of courts. We have more people than courts so it’s really hard to get on. We used to ask people if they do play pickleball, now we ask people where they play pickleball,” Blanchard said.

The master plan also includes ambitious long-term goals, including a major revitalization of Canyon Lakes to transform it into a “regional destination for adventure and nature-based recreation.”

That plan would bolster the plant-life, build enhanced mountain bike trails, offer water activities and develop an outdoor entertainment area to host live music and events.

“The canyon lakes is the true gem of our city,” Robinson said. “I think it can be a true regional destination and we haven’t tapped into its full potential yet.”

The plan will still need to get final approval from City Council, which the parks department anticipates by early November at the latest. You can find the full details on the Parks and Recreation homepage on the city’s website.

“This has been a very robust planning program that has covered the full gamut of recreation facilities and needs,” city consultant and technical lead with Halff Associates, Aaron Tuley, said. “It’s going to take awhile to implement but with the right leadership, which I know the city has with a great parks department, I believe it’s all possible.”