Wichita Park Board to kick off master plan after $100,000 in outside pledges

The Wichita City Board of Park Commissioners will begin a citywide park master-planning process in November after the Park Foundation and Sedgwick County each committed $50,000 toward the effort.

Katie (park staff) told the board the project will convene a steering committee and the team plans an initial meeting next week to prepare for a November kickoff. She described the timeline as roughly 12 to 24 months for the master plan work.

The Park Foundation—s strategic plan team is coordinating with board staff to avoid duplicating outreach; Reggie (Park Foundation representative) said the foundation approved contributing “a little over $50,000” to the park master plan and will produce a short video highlighting recent investments at Clapp Park as part of its campaign. Reggie also said the foundation aims for more intentional collaboration with the park board on priorities and resource allocation.

Staff said the county has committed $50,000 to the master plan and that the plan will explore joint programming at county sites such as Lake Afton/Sedgwick County Park. Katie said the plan will guide investments over the next 10 to 15 years and that a park-board representative will sit on the steering committee alongside a Park Foundation representative.

Board members urged strong district-level engagement and noted the master plan will require outreach outside regularly scheduled meetings. Staff said they are working to align the plan with the city—s online registration and facility-rental systems so residents can see and reserve spaces more easily.

The board did not take a formal vote on the master plan during this meeting; staff indicated they will finalize the steering committee and report back on the kickoff schedule.