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St. Mary’s County Recreation and Parks reports progress on strategic plan; launches videos, metrics and registration upgrade
Summary
Department staff briefed the Recreation and Parks Citizens Advisory Board on progress toward the 2024–2029 strategic plan, highlighting educational media, stakeholder outreach goals, National Recreation and Park Association metrics, drone imaging and a forthcoming web registration system.
Jessica, a staff member with St. Mary’s County Recreation and Parks, told the Recreation and Parks Citizens Advisory Board the department is midway through short‑term objectives from its 2024–2029 strategic plan and is tracking 17 action items slated for completion by December 2025.
Jessica said the plan’s four pillars — customer service, fiscal stewardship, innovation and human capital — drive specific short‑term projects. On customer service, she said the department has produced educational videos, added two TV information displays (including one at Leonard Hall), deployed QR codes in facilities and launched short park‑tour videos to help users find amenities. “We have 2 new TV displays that are on a constant rotation,” she said.
Under fiscal stewardship, Jessica said staff are standardizing participation and financial reporting across divisions and using the National Recreation and Park Association’s park metrics to compare county performance with national benchmarks. On innovation, the department has gathered drone footage of all 23 park sites and is assessing expanded use of the county’s CityWorks asset‑management system. Jessica said a purchase order has been approved for a new web‑based registration platform and implementation planning is underway; staff estimated rollout in December or January, about six to seven months after kickoff.
Human capital items include developing a formal workforce‑development program, internship partnerships with St. Mary’s County Public Schools and St. Mary’s College, and continued support for staff professional certifications.
Why it matters: the short‑term actions are designed to increase program access, improve reporting and reduce operational friction (for example, by enabling online pass purchases and reducing cash handling). Jessica emphasized accessibility and outreach: several new materials and videos have Spanish translations and the department is increasing paper‑based and in‑person options for those not online.
Discussion and follow‑up: board members asked about where drone footage will be published; Jessica said some footage is being released via social media and staff will add park pages with drone video over time. Board members also asked about improving Wi‑Fi in waterfront parks to enable card processing; Jessica said the request is in the county IT budget process and remains subject to IT and budget approvals.
No formal votes were taken on the strategic plan update; staff will return with further progress reports.
