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Fife board begins update of six-year PROS plan to preserve grant eligibility
Summary
City parks staff told the Fife Parks Advisory Board that the PROS (parks, recreation and open space) plan must be updated by Feb. 2028 to remain eligible for Recreation and Conservation Office grants; staff proposed an in-house process with public outreach and a March 2027 third-party assessment.
Marta, the parks staff lead, told the Fife Parks Advisory Board on May 6 that the city must adopt an updated PROS (parks, recreation and open space) plan by February 2028 to remain eligible for grants from the Washington State Recreation and Conservation Office (RCO). She said the department plans to produce most of the plan in-house and estimated internal costs around $5,000, contrasting that with typical consultant estimates of $125,000—$150,000.
"Our PROS plan must be updated every 6 years in order to stay eligible for grants from the Recreation and Conservation Office," Marta said during the board's review. She outlined required elements for RCO eligibility: goals and objectives, a park and facility inventory, public involvement, demand and need analysis, a six-year capital improvement program and formal adoption by the city council.
Marta described a timeline that puts board review of goals and objectives in 2026 (this meeting), a third-party assessment of parks in March 2027, integration of survey results by May 2027, and a community-needs chapter available in August 2027 ahead of an anticipated August 2027 adoption and subsequent council consideration. She said staff expect to run targeted public outreach beginning in fall 2026 (online surveys, workshops, task forces, focus groups and signage with QR codes in parks) and recommended reaching out to Saddle Creek and Radiance HOAs and tribal partners as part of that outreach.
Board members pressed for clarity on how art and other items would be handled in the PROS plan. Marta said art installed on Parks-designated property could be included; art on non-park city property would generally be addressed separately through the council and other funding sources. She also noted the PROS plan is not a binding city-level policy document but serves as an evidentiary basis for grant applications and council authorization to apply.
Why it matters: Fife credited RCO-funded projects with nearly $3 million in grant awards over the last four years, staff said. Without an updated PROS plan the city could be ineligible for some state-administered grant programs that have required the document.
Next steps: staff asked the board for feedback on goals and objectives and invited additional comments by the end of the week; staff will return with progress updates in September/October 2026 and during multiple meetings through summer 2027 ahead of the adoption schedule.
