Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Parks Master Plan topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Planning Board approves 20-year Parks & Recreation master plan, flags maintenance and staffing shortfalls
Summary
The board voted unanimously to recommend the Parks and Recreation comprehensive master plan, which sets five priorities including building capacity and securing sustainable funding after engagement that attracted about 8,000 website visits and 1,000 survey responses.
The Omaha Planning Board on Aug. 20 voted 7–0 to recommend approval of the Parks and Recreation comprehensive master plan, a 20-year roadmap that will be incorporated into the city’s comprehensive plan.
Teresa Jackson of consulting firm Barry Dunn said the plan resulted from a 14-month process and broad community engagement: "We had a project web site that received over 8,000 visits, 1000 contributions," she told the board. Jackson summarized key findings: an emphasis on maintenance and staff capacity, uneven distribution of recreation services, and trail-connectivity gaps; the study identified 156 potential trail segments and prioritized the top 20.
Dan Cedar, assistant director of Parks and Recreation, said the plan sets five priorities with 15 goals and numerous action items, including building organizational capacity, securing sustainable funding (including a park-district assessment as an option), expanding access to underserved areas, prioritizing maintenance of existing assets, and expanding recreation participation.
Board members pressed staff on why maintenance and staffing are short. Cedar and staff said recruitment for parks maintenance roles has lagged and some positions were not restored after earlier budget cuts; the department has begun outreach programs and is considering creating more full-time roles to improve retention.
Why it matters: The plan frames funding and staffing choices over two decades; the board noted Omaha’s per-capita parks spending is low in benchmark comparisons and urged exploring funding formulas and partnerships. Staff recommended approval; the board’s recommendation moves the document closer to final adoption as part of the city comprehensive plan process.
