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Lakewood launches push to widen engagement for updated parks 'legacy plan' ahead of grant season
Summary
Parks staff presented progress on the city—s 20-year legacy plan, reported roughly 218 survey responses with a 300-response goal, and outlined an RFQ and task force to draft a six-year capital priority list to improve grant competitiveness with state RCO programs.
David de la Cruz, parks and capital project manager, told the Lakewood Parks Advisory Board that the city is updating its 20-year parks, recreation and open-space strategic plan and will produce a six-year capital improvement project list to guide grant applications.
"This is a 20 year park and recreation strategic plan," de la Cruz said, adding that the updated plan will shape next year—s grant submissions. Staff reported about 218 survey respondents to date and set a goal of 300, with a site-level target of roughly 36 respondents per park.
Why it matters: identifying priority projects in the legacy plan helps the city be competitive for state funding, including grants managed through the Recreation and Conservation Office (RCO). Board members urged staff to include newly acquired sites — notably the downtown parcel discussed during the meeting — in the plan—s "future opportunities" section so those sites are eligible for grants even before detailed master planning.
Staff briefed the board on outreach to date: pop-up events at community festivals, farmers markets and the library; presentations to neighborhood associations and the youth council; a social-media launch; and targeted email blasts to recent ActiveNet registrants. De la Cruz said the team will place A-frame signs and posters at parks and transit hubs and seek partner distribution through schools and neighborhood groups to reach underrepresented areas.
Board members pressed for translations and accessible engagement. Stacy Redding and others noted a need to translate the survey into the community—s top languages (the meeting discussed Spanish and Korean) and suggested on-site interpretation tools such as the Wordly app for events. De la Cruz said translations are underway and that staff may extend the survey window to accommodate them.
Timing and next steps: staff will close the primary survey period in November (with a possible short extension), compile results through year-end, and then convene a legacy plan task force to help draft sections. The city plans to issue an RFQ for a consultant to support mapping, data analysis and drafting; de la Cruz said the target is to have a draft legacy plan ready in spring and consider adoption by mid-2026.
Votes at a glance: the board approved the previous meeting minutes by voice vote; at the end of the meeting members moved and seconded to adjourn.
What—s next: staff will continue targeted outreach, finalize translations, post A-frame signs at parks and transit stops, and circulate an RFQ for consultant support to synthesize survey results and mapping into draft plan sections for task-force review.
