Lakeville staff outline five‑year parks and recreation and Heritage Center strategic plan, set 18‑month implementation steps

Susan, recreation manager, told the Lakeville City Council at its May 27 work session that parks and recreation staff completed a five‑year strategic planning process to guide programming and facilities over the next 3–5 years and to lay out short‑term implementation tasks.

The plan, produced with an outside consultant and input from park and rec staff, advisory committees, the Arts Center and representatives of the Lakeville Area Active Adults program, sets four directives: explore new funding, review facility use and future needs, optimize programming to meet community expectations, and assess technology and staffing. An 18‑month implementation schedule begins July 1 with progress checkpoints on Oct. 1, Jan. 1 and April 1.

The plan matters to residents and city leaders because parks and recreation are among the top reasons people move to Lakeville: Mayor Campbell noted that survey responses consistently list “parks and schools” as leading factors. Susan said the department produced the plan because “it was time, way past time to get that done and try to figure out where we’re going and how we’re doing and where we want what we wanna look like in 5 to 10 years.”

Staff described several immediate issues driving the plan: strong growth in active adult participation at the Heritage Center, nearly 500 sessions planned in the summer brochure, and a growing population that is increasing demand at facilities and programs. The Heritage Center is busy during daytime hours while the Art Center is busier at night, which staff said creates opportunities to shift programming across city facilities.

The plan includes operational changes designed to expand access and reduce friction for users. Staff propose a dedicated Parks & Recreation landing page and URL to separate park and rec content from the main city site; a single page listing all rentable spaces (art center, heritage center, park shelters) to simplify reservations; standardized block pricing for facility rentals; and expanded social media outreach. Susan said staff will also create a recognizable brand so residents can tell Parks & Recreation programming apart from Community Education and other providers.

Staff announced a change to the department’s scholarship program: where the…