Plans for Issaquah’s new downtown park include a horseshoe-shaped bridge and an emphasis on natural play areas for children, as opposed to traditional play structures.

“If you were a kid, this is a park you’d want to live across the street from,” said park design lead Guy Michaelsen, adding that climbing rocks and good creek access would do more to stir a child’s imagination than the pre-defined jungle gyms.

While the city is far from fully funding the multi-million dollar project, The Berger Partnership presented its recommended design for the 15.5-acre park last week.

The public input meetings started with 120 people eager to share, and dwindled to about 30 people altogether at the final meeting, a sign of a good plan, Michaelsen said.

“I’m very impressed,” said Issaquah’s Ruben Nieto. “It looks like they’ve taken everyone’s input and used it seriously.”

Nieto was looking forward the most to better access to the confluence area, where the river splits the park into three pieces.

The crossing includes two extra-wide bridges seamlessly connected with boardwalks to form a horseshoe shape.

The park maintains a large meadow, and surrounds it with meandering pathways lined with decorative half walls that flow in and out of the ground, and manmade knolls.

A decorative sand pit would make room for two volleyball nets. Structures for children, including climbing rocks, wooded areas and cleverly stacked logs, are scattered throughout the park design.

Tall trees would surround the public gardens to hide them in the winter, but they’d also block much of the sunshine. It’s the only concern for Al Erickson, who retired from Issaquah’s parks department after 35 years.

“Vegetable gardens like sun,” he said.

The two farmhouses on the property would be restored and opened for small public meetings and private events.

The property’s large red barn would be rebuilt in its place to accompany large group activities. Its big doors would open out onto a flat gravel yard with a grandfather tree for shade.

The city has been acquiring land for the park for about 15 years, which has earned it a variety of names, including Tollë Anderson, Cybil-Madeline and Issaquah Creek Confluence Park.

It’s located in Olde Town Issaquah at Northwest Holly Street and Rainier Boulevard North.

The city has about $1.6 million to start the first phase of the project, which won’t include more expensive items such as the bridges, Michaelsen said.

Initial construction is expected to begin after a yearlong review in Spring 2012.

“These types of parks evolve over a period of time,” Erickson said.

The first step would be to turn the old farmsteads into a functioning park, and then add more bold features.

“I love it, and I think they’ve listened,” said former parks board member Barbara Shelton of the design. “I wish we had the money to get it done now.”