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City staff brief council on parks-and-recreation master plan; indoor quad and lighting needs top public input
Summary
Staff updated the council on the parks and recreation master plan: Phase 1 inventory and public input completed, Phase 2 will recommend maintenance, programming, staffing and a 10-year capital plan; indoor quad facilities and improved lighting were high-priority public requests.
City staff updated the Goldsboro City Council on progress toward an updated comprehensive parks and recreation master plan and previewed next steps for public engagement and funding.
Felicia, the parks lead working with McGill Associates, summarized Phase 1 work completed during FY25: a full inventory of park facilities, demographic and land-use forecasts, public input meetings and an online survey, and review sessions with planning and GIS staff. "The comprehensive plan will also make recommendations for us for the next 5 to 10 years," she said, and staff expects to present a draft for council review and potential adoption by November.
Public input, Felicia said, pointed consistently to demand for an indoor quad facility and other amenities across districts; council members noted heavy usage by county residents and discussed fee differentials between city residents and nonresidents as one lever to raise maintenance revenue. Council raised specific maintenance issues, such as failing lighting systems at Hermann Park; staff confirmed lighting and safety systems are included in the plan and that documenting deficiencies in the master plan would improve eligibility for Parks and Recreation Trust Fund grants (Parks Trust grants can reach $500,000 with a dollar-for-dollar match and can include in-kind labor).
Council members asked staff and consultants to ensure one-on-one outreach to council members and noted the Recreation Advisory Commission is acting as a steering committee. Staff described the plan as a roadmap for programming, maintenance, staffing recommendations and a 10-year capital improvement plan; public engagement is ongoing with deliverables expected through the fall and a final plan projected next summer for the land-use plan parallel process.
The council took no vote on the master plan at the meeting; the update was informational and intended to guide later budget and project decisions.
