Jack Gist Park receives spring improvements

City of Homer staff expanded the parking lot, installed a culvert, and added a mobile bathroom unit.

By Chloe Pleznac Homer News • May 21, 2025 12:30 pm

Tags: City of Homer, Local News, Softball

If you’ve been to a softball game this month or perhaps consider yourself an avid “frolfer,” you’ve probably already noticed the recent improvements to Jack Gist Park.

This spring City of Homer staff worked to expand the parking lot at the park, fix drainage in the area through the installation of a culvert, and connect a new, mobile bathroom unit that hooks up to city utilities like water, electricity and sewage.

Parks Director Chad Felice said the installation of the mobile bathroom has been a great, affordable way to upgrade the park facilities without the time and cost of building an entire new unit. The fact that it can connect to city utilities also helps lower maintenance costs.

A concrete slab was also poured for the mobile restroom to sit on. Public Works Superintendent Mike Zelinski said the ability of skilled city workers allowed them to keep that labor within the city.

The improvements have nearly doubled the parking space at the park, as well as help divert water from collecting in areas of the park that might damage the ball fields. A new traffic pattern is evident in the flow of the new parking lot. The disc golf course also received a new, compact path to the start of the course, which winds along the lower ballfield, through the forest.

Jack Gist’s estate originally donated the park’s land to create localized softball fields and public recreational space. The 10-acre park offers views of both Beluga Lake and Kachemak Bay, with three fields used by the Homer Adult Softball Association and the Homer High Mariner Softball team. A nine-hole disc golf or “frolfing” course, established in 2012, is also nestled in the woods surrounding the softball fields.

As far as future improvements go, Felice said they’d like to do some refurbishing of the ball fields eventually, but for now, the park is ready to receive visitors and host large games into the summer season.