Columbia unveils 10-year parks and recreation master plan; council to vote next month

Daniel Biggs of consulting firm Weston & Sampson presented a final, community-driven 10-year parks and recreation master plan to the City of Columbia Council, and staff asked the council to review the binder of materials before a resolution to adopt the plan is scheduled for a council vote on the 15th of next month.

The plan, Biggs said, is “our GPS for our vision for the next decade,” and was built from more than a year of public engagement including an online survey, teen and youth outreach and multiple public meetings. Assistant City Manager Henry Simons told the council the plan highlights what is working now while identifying priorities and tools for implementation.

At a high level, the plan reports more than 1,000 online survey respondents, added youth input (an initial ~50 students then roughly another 50), and widespread interest in upgrades that would increase park usage. Biggs said nearly three-quarters of survey respondents indicated they would visit parks more often if conditions improved, and more than half pointed to safety and security…