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 improvements as a driver of increased use. Restrooms were identified as the single most prominent need.

Recommendations in the final report are organized into four categories: administrative changes (staffing, operations), programming, parks and facilities (maintenance, upgrades, acquisitions) and a phased action plan that separates short-term (0–2 years), midterm (3–6 years) and long-term (7–10 years) steps. Examples staff and consultants highlighted include a midterm administrative study on increasing parking at Heathwood Park, a near-term recommendation and cost estimate for a splash pad at Rose Hill (noted as a higher capital item because modern splash pads use recirculation systems), and safety upgrades such as adding emergency call boxes, cameras and park ranger coverage at Findlay Park.

The plan sets seven goals to guide implementation: 1) support community health and wellness; 2) engage the community; 3) program community events; 4) maintain and improve parks and facilities; 5) expand and grow facilities; 6) improve community connectivity (greenways/trails); and 7) improve organizational operations and efficiency. Each goal includes strategies and specific actions; for example, the engagement goal recommends organizing “friends of” volunteer groups, supporting fundraising through a Parks and Recreation Foundation, and creating a Parks and Recreation advisory commission with district representation.

Council discussion focused on language and emphasis for safety recommendations and on amenities requested by residents. One council member asked whether references to “upgrading safety and security” would imply the parks are unsafe; Biggs and staff clarified the recommendation targets specific parks identified in public input (Districts 1 and 4 were mentioned) and called the improvements largely perceptual and deterrent measures rather than a wholesale change such as stationing security guards. Simons noted recent targeted lighting improvements at MLK Park, Ben Arnold and South Eddystone as examples of small, effective interventions implemented this fiscal year.

Council members also discussed active-recreation trends raised in public input. Biggs said pickleball is a high-demand paddle sport locally and nationally and described how courts can be retrofitted on existing tennis courts; he noted active programs at Southeast Park, Willen Park, Greenview and the Charles R. Drew Center.

The plan also highlights a greenway/connectivity strategy with specific references to the Vista Greenway and Loomis Street extension as areas where the city has already acquired property or identified routes that could be developed incrementally. Staff emphasized the plan is intended as a practical, implementable tool for department staff and recommended annual tracking and a scorecard so council and the public can monitor progress.

Simons told the council the full master plan binder is at their seats and staff will bring a formal adoption resolution to the council on the 15th of next month. No final vote on the plan occurred during the work session.

Ending: Staff said they will share digital and paper copies of the plan with council and bring the formal adoption resolution to the next council meeting for action.