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Leisure services master plan advances after broad community outreach
Summary
Consultants presented a draft leisure services master plan built on extensive outreach, gap analyses and recommendations to increase maintenance, accessibility, connectivity and awareness of parks and programs.
Consultants from BerryDunn and the county’s Leisure Services staff presented an update on the leisure services master plan on May 13, describing outreach, level-of-service analysis and draft recommendations for the next five to ten years.
Becky Dunlap, a senior consultant, said the planning team conducted roughly 70 in‑person engagement activities, a statistically valid mailed survey with 619 responses, and numerous pop‑ups and community events. “We reached almost 80,000 people in that outreach … and about 2,300 people were engaged throughout that process,” Dunlap said.
The analysis found the county has a relatively high number of park acres per resident but an approximate 15‑minute (one‑mile) walk access gap: about 35% of residents live within a 15‑minute walk of a park or facility. The consultants identified three priority gap areas where new parks or improved access would raise level of service; Gap 1 contains roughly 8,500 residents and the highest growth rate, the team said.
Draft recommendations emphasized three themes: increase maintenance capacity (consultants reported the parks maintenance crew totaled about 10 people, including five focused on building services), improve accessibility and connectivity (including the Firefly Trail and greenway network), and raise public awareness of programs and facilities through marketing and partnerships. The consultants noted the department’s cost recovery is around 11% and that roughly $90,000 in fee discounts (scholarships) is provided annually to support youth participation.
Commissioners asked for clarity on department naming and program awareness; one commissioner suggested renaming the department to improve public recognition. Staff and consultants said the final draft will include detailed recommendations and that the completed master plan is expected back to the commission in June for adoption steps and potential alignment with accreditation standards. No vote was taken at the May 13 presentation.
