A nature trail received early support from a few west Lawrence residents who attended a meeting Monday night to discuss plans for a new park near Langston Hughes School.

About a dozen residents and representatives from the Lawrence Parks and Recreation Department met at the school in the first of two meetings concerning the 40-acre park. The park is on land east of the school at 1101 George Williams Way.

Alan Cowles, president of the West Lawrence Neighborhood Assn., was pleased with the discussion.

“We look forward to trying to construct something that’s going to be of value and a joy to all the neighbors in the area,” Cowles said.

The consensus of the residents who attended the meeting was to leave the park as natural as possible. They called for areas of native grasses and a concrete walking trail through the park. The trail might, however, have water fountains at strategic locations and a bench.

The land already includes hilly and rugged terrain, said C.L. Mauer, a representative of Landplan Engineering.

Cowles also noted that workers need to have a way to access areas of the park for maintenance to prevent erosion and to discourage illegal dumping.

“There isn’t anybody who wants to have this area turned into a dump,” Cowles said.

The city doesn’t have any money to develop a park now, but it is interested in hearing suggestions from the neighborhood, said Fred DeVictor, parks and recreation director. Any effort to develop the park could be at least five years away, he said.

But DeVictor also said it was important to begin planning before additional development encroaches on the Langston Hughes area.

DeVictor also said no names had been selected for the park and suggestions were welcome.

Parks and Recreation officials plan a second meeting at 7 p.m. Dec. 13 at the school to give other residents a chance to speak out about the park.