Metro Parks outlines 2026 "Plan to Play" update; committee places eight grant and park resolutions on consent

Metro Parks told the Arts, Parks, Libraries & Entertainment Committee on June 17 that it is preparing a focused update to the 2017 Plan to Play master plan, with a target public release in March 2026 and an action-plan horizon of about five years.

"The first Plan to Play was in 2017," said Tim Naech, assistant director for Metro Parks’ Planning and Facilities Development Division. "We're not starting over. This will really be a supplement to that plan." He said the update will use the 2017 recommendations as benchmarks, include a condition assessment of facilities and produce a more robust approach to greenways, operations and finance.

Naech said the department has received more than 800 survey responses so far and that the survey will remain open through July. "To be statistically valid, we need 600 people. So we've already crossed that threshold," he said. He added that public meetings held in June averaged roughly 20 attendees each and that some portions of the condition assessment are already complete; Metro Parks will follow up with the committee on the final timeline for releasing the full condition-assessment report.

Committee members repeatedly urged Parks to broaden outreach into communities that are underrepresented in public meetings. Vice Chair Bough noted the value of in-person engagement and asked whether Parks would return to neighborhoods or coordinate with councilmembers. Naech said the department held five regional meetings (north, south, east, west and downtown) and has discussed requests for additional district-level meetings…