Culling a list from 400 to three is a tall order.

Impossible, perhaps.

So instead, the group responsible for determining the top three “values” — the guiding ideals for the development of the Sakai park property — squeezed as much as possible into six. The essentials, as they now stand: year-round active lifestyle; connection to, appreciation of and preservation of site nature and history with opportunity for future beauty from sacred to fun; centralized community connectivity — proximity and walkability; responsible economic and tourism development; safe unstructured multi-generational inclusiveness; shared creativity and learning.

The original list of 400 values came straight from the community as the park planning process kicked off earlier this year. One hundred seventy-five people showed up to the first planning meeting on Jan. 23 to brainstorm possible uses for the property and determine what the community valued. A park values work group then funneled these suggestions into all-encompassing categories.

Nine other work groups have also been busy since January, scrutinizing proposed uses by topic.

The youth sports work group surveyed leaders from 12 Bainbridge Island programs to evaluate how a multi-use sports facility at Sakai might benefit their teams.

Interest was wide, they found; all the leaders reported that current Bainbridge park facilities are inadequate. The lack of facilities necessitated late night practices, but lighted fields are also limited; facilities are insufficient for hosting tournaments and meets; and kids would benefit from a safe after school gathering place.

Another group considered the benefit of building a multi-age community center on the Sakai land, purchased last year after voters approved a $5.9 million bond measure to pay for the 22.87-acre property on Madison Avenue.

They toured current park and school facilities, interviewed park staff about program needs and visited centers in Mercer Island, Silverdale and Bremerton.

The goal of a community center, they wrote in a concluding document, would be to consolidate youth and adult activities under “one roof” rather than at least 12 separate locations across the island. This new community center could house new, up-to-date, safe offices for the park district to replace the outdated headquarters on High School Road; a new, up-to-date, safe gymnastics gym; and a teen center, a senior center, a dividable gymnasium, meeting space and a commercial kitchen.

Many people who attended the second Sakai public planning meeting, held April 23, were ready to move forward and hand off a list of 11 uses to the park board for consideration.

But some groups were not yet finished with their research — including a group responsible for administering a community survey that would capture the desires of those who hadn’t made it out to the meetings.

A third public meeting is now scheduled for 10 a.m. to noon Saturday, July 16 — which means there’s still time for interested community members to get involved with the project.

“The thinking was that the public deserved to hear all of [the study group results] before compiling a final list,” planning consultant Bob Linz explained.

A park board meeting will be held July 21, at which point the work generated out of the public process will be formally transferred to the park district.

Park commissioners and district staff will then review specific issues on the recommended uses, including capital and operational costs, feasibility and benefit to the overall community, and applicable restrictions.

While the list of recommended uses will carry significant weight, park officials stressed it is not set in stone. It may not be feasible for everything from the list to be included in the park, and some things from the list may be more appropriate on other park properties. Officials have also noted that they expect development of the Sakai property to be spread out over multiple years.