City staff and consulting teams gave the Independence City Council a midterm briefing on the parks and recreation master plan, reporting assessment findings, engagement results and an outline of next steps toward a draft strategic action plan.

The briefing matters because the master plan will guide capital investment, maintenance priorities and staffing for parks, trails and historic assets across the city and will inform funding choices, including potential bond measures or other revenue options identified in the resident survey.

City Manager Younger introduced the discussion and asked Morris Heide, Director of Parks and Recreation, to present the status of the plan. Heide said the plan is "a little bit more than halfway through" the process and that consultants are reporting findings but making no recommendations at this briefing.

Prosch Consulting (Travis) presented demographic and service‑level analysis: Independence shows a modest population increase forecast over the next eight years, an aging population trend, and increasing racial and ethnic diversity. Prosch used Esri data for a market potential index and noted Independence scores high on outdoor‑adventure activities and that e‑gaming is an emerging interest. The consultants compared Independence to the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA) Midwest median and reported the following key metrics: developed park acreage at 6.41 acres per 1,000 people versus the Midwest benchmark of 12.8 acres per 1,000; trail mileage above the benchmark at 34.9 miles; and a capital‑spending recent year figure of $245,000, well below a multi‑year NRPA average used for benchmarking. The consultant also noted operating expenses of roughly $8,150,000 include interfund charges that the team estimated reduce actual parks operating funds by about 10 percent.

Confluence reported a distribution and condition assessment of parks and found the majority of park acreage concentrated on the city's west side, leaving the east side underserved. Condition ratings varied by amenity; examples cited included McCoy Park and Rotary Park in generally good condition and specific needs at Santa Fe Trail Park (restrooms and certain playgrounds). Confluence flagged recurring maintenance pressure on restroom facilities caused by vandalism and use by people experiencing homelessness.

PGAV Planners presented the historic‑sites component, covering nine city‑owned sites: National Frontier Trails Museum; Chicago and Alton Train Depot; Bingham Wagner Estate; Missouri Model Railroad Museum; 76 Fire Company Museum (Old Fire Station No. 1); 1827 Log Cabin Courthouse; Pioneer Spring Cabin; Veil Mansion; and Truman Depot. PGAV compiled rough maintenance and repair estimates and reported that several sites consider the consultant estimates conservative; one site (Bingham Wagner) suggested a higher repair cost than the consultant’s initial number. PGAV said the sites appear underused and suggested a range of management and funding approaches—conservancy or nonprofit partnerships, marketing and bundling of sites—but made no formal recommendation at the briefing.

Concerning engagement, ETC and the city’s research partner reported a statistically valid household survey with 802 completed surveys (margin of error about ±3.5 percentage points). Ryan Murray said 82 percent of respondents reported visiting a park facility in the prior year, 61 percent reported visiting a city‑owned museum site, and 65 percent had participated in a city program or event in the prior year. The survey found high resident support for parks: 92 percent said it is important for the city to provide high‑quality parks and programs; 88 percent said historic sites are important; and roughly three‑quarters of respondents indicated they would be willing to support a general‑obligation bond to improve parks and recreation facilities. The survey also ranked availability of information, maintenance and safety among top priorities for the parks department.

Consultants described the next steps: developing a vision, mission and goals; prioritizing capital investments and funding strategies; drafting a strategic action plan; presenting a draft to council in December or January; and delivering the complete plan in March. No policy decisions or funding commitments were adopted at the meeting; the council received the informational update and will be briefed again with draft recommendations.

Quotes in this article are attributed only to speakers who participated in the briefing and are taken from the meeting transcript.