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Board adopts 20‑year Parks & Recreation master plan after community outreach
Summary
Pima County unanimously adopted a Parks & Recreation master plan outlining six priority areas, a 20‑year implementation schedule, identified staffing and funding gaps, and short‑term actions such as extended pool hours in rural areas.
The Pima County Board of Supervisors unanimously adopted a 20‑year Parks & Recreation master plan on Dec. 16 after a presentation by Parks & Recreation Director Vic Pereira and consultant Teresa Jackson.
The plan — developed with more than 9,500 community engagement touchpoints, district meetings, surveys and stakeholder sessions — identifies six priority areas: organizational capacity; expanding access and equity; maintaining existing assets; broadening recreation options; partnerships and communication; and advanced sustainability and resilience. The consultant said benchmarking shows an estimated staffing shortfall of about 25 full‑time equivalents and an approximate $6.6 million funding gap.
Short‑term priorities include building foundation systems, staffing, early park improvements, and pool and community‑center assessments; midterm actions (FY31–35) focus on major capital projects and volunteer capacity; and longer‑term work (FY36–46) emphasizes systemwide sustainability upgrades such as renewable energy and reclaimed water where feasible. Director Pereira said some sustainability measures are already being implemented as projects arise, including LED conversions and turf reductions.
Supervisors asked about accelerating certain sustainability and aquatics priorities for heat‑burdened or rural neighborhoods. Pereira said staff have a memo in process to increase regional pool hours and make some facilities free in the next fiscal year, and noted intergovernmental agreements with school districts as an implementation tool. The board also asked for corrections to two pages with administrative typos to be made in the final document.
The plan was endorsed by the Parks and Recreation Advisory Commission last month and will be used to guide annual budget priorities and capital planning going forward.
