Consultants present Mauldin Parks & Recreation Master Plan; survey of 723 respondents and $10.5M maintenance estimate highlighted
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Summary
Bolton & Menk consultants briefed council on a four‑phase Parks & Recreation Master Plan. They reported 723 public survey responses, prioritized trail expansion and upgraded fields, and estimated roughly $10.5 million in deferred maintenance and upgrade costs while recommending phased funding and staffing changes.
Consultants from Bolton & Menk presented the City of Mauldin’s Parks and Recreation Master Plan, summarizing a four‑phase planning process that combined a park inventory, public engagement, a gap analysis and draft recommendations. "This was fantastic because you had 723 responses in just a few weeks," a project presenter said, noting that level of response helped prioritize community desires.
Key findings from the public outreach and analysis included strong support for trail expansion; modernization of athletic fields; more diverse recreational programming; increased shade and seating; and amenities that support social and intergenerational use. The consultants pointed to survey results that showed exercise and walking as the primary park uses and identified barriers to youth participation as a critical datapoint to guide programming choices.
A system-level gap analysis found Mauldin provides substantially fewer park acres per 1,000 residents than national benchmarks for similarly sized cities and recommended focusing new investments in southwest areas of the city to improve geographic equity and connectivity. The plan includes detailed GIS inventories and recommended that the city incorporate the consultants’ shapefiles into the municipal GIS.
The presentation included a preliminary cost estimate for deferred maintenance and bringing facilities to current standards: approximately $10.5 million. Consultants emphasized that this figure is an identification of needs rather than an immediate capital ask, and they recommended short‑, mid‑ and long‑term phasing, a feasibility study for south Mauldin, improved wayfinding and branding, and exploration of funding tools such as grants, sponsorships, impact fees and capital budgeting.
On staffing and operations, consultants recommended evaluating a recreation programmer position to expand offerings and suggested aligning staff growth with facility expansion to avoid hiring before new facilities are operational. Council members and staff were invited to provide feedback on the draft plan as consultants prepared revisions.
No formal council vote on the master plan was recorded at the meeting; consultants asked for comments to refine the document for implementation planning.
