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Consultant updates board on parks master plan; outreach shows walking and conservation priorities
Summary
Consultant Jamie Sabak briefed the Bloomington Board of Park Commissioners on the parks master plan process, recent engagement activities and next steps, including a planned January strategic session and a February 2026 draft delivery target.
Consultant Jamie Sabak told the Bloomington Board of Park Commissioners during a work session that the parks master plan process remains on schedule and that recent outreach generated baseline feedback to inform priorities, financial modeling and the strategic plan stage.
Sabak said the project team held a two‑day site visit that included staff meetings on inclusion and accessibility, climate and sustainability, a public workshop at Switchyard Park, and a provider luncheon attended by roughly 50 organizations. Staff and consultants also ran engagement exercises that produced about 1,100 responses to a brief three‑question questionnaire and seven focus groups, Sabak said. The consultant described the questionnaire results so far with walking as the most common household activity and cited conservation of natural areas, expanded or connected trails, and “taking care of what we have” as top priorities reported by respondents.
Sabak and staff described parallel work on a financial sustainability analysis and a conditions assessment. Sabak said the conditions assessment for the department’s pools produced a summarized cost figure the consultant referred to as "2.4" in the meeting; Sabak characterized that number as the estimated cost to restore the facilities to their current condition rather than to add improvements. Board members and staff discussed the need to use the analysis to inform policy on service categories, cost‑recovery goals and a draft financial sustainability policy that staff will later present to the board for approval.
Other engagement highlights Sabak described included a provider network luncheon with representatives from youth and adult sports, arts and venue organizations, Visit Bloomington and the school district; in‑person feedback at Switchyard Park; and plans to publish a virtual engagement room and a longer survey to reach more households. Sabak said the team expects to return in mid‑January for a strategic planning work session with staff and to deliver a master plan draft in February 2026.
The work session was informational; no formal board votes or policy actions were taken during the presentation.
