LandWorks Studios and the Shawnee County Parks and Recreation director presented a proposed departmentwide master plan to the Board of County Commissioners on Oct. 9, outlining a five‑phase process that the consultant said would take about nine to ten months to complete and would produce a 10‑year roadmap for capital and program investments.

"Master Plan's a great opportunity to do 4 or 5 different things," said Brian Sturm, who described the project team and the public‑engagement and inventory work the firm would conduct. Tim Laurent, director of the Parks and Recreation Department, introduced the presentation and emphasized prior collaboration on Family Park developments.

Sturm outlined the team (LandWorks Studio as prime, with architecture and engineering partners and ETC Institute for statistically valid surveying) and described the five phases: initiation, discovery (inventory and public engagement), analysis, vision (recommendations and property‑level concepting), and implementation (final report and adoption steps). The outreach plan includes a countywide statistically valid mail survey, an online interactive mapping platform, in‑person open houses, stakeholder interviews, and facility scoring using a rubric developed with department staff.

The consultants said they would inventory nearly all facilities, analyze budgets and program menus, benchmark peer systems, and produce an implementation matrix to guide capital decisions. Sturm noted the department’s CAPRA (Council for Accreditation of Park, Recreation & Leisure) accreditation and said the plan should help prioritize investments so the department does not remain in a reactive posture.

Commissioner Ravan asked whether the plan would include a needs assessment to identify locations for future parks and to anticipate growth corridors. "As part of this master plan, would you be doing, like, a needs assessment of where future parks might be located?" Ravan asked. Sturm replied the team would perform a level‑of‑service analysis and review building permits, planning data and growth patterns to map service gaps and areas where acquisition or investment may be warranted.

Commissioner Kevin Cook asked whether the firm would deliver a plan unique to Shawnee County rather than a template. Sturm committed that LandWorks would craft a plan specific to the county’s needs and identity and said the firm avoids a “cookie‑cutter” approach.

Sturm said LandWorks expects close collaboration with Parks and Recreation staff, steering‑committee reviews at each phase and presentation of a draft report to advisory boards and commissioners. The team proposed completing the work in time to inform the next budget cycle. Commissioners did not vote on or direct a contract at this meeting; the presentation was informational and included a question-and-answer period.

During public comment that followed the presentation, a resident offered two ball fields for county consideration and urged Redevelopment attention in a nearby flood‑plain neighborhood; commissioners thanked the speaker and proceeded to other items.

No motions or formal actions were recorded on the master‑plan proposal during this session.