Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Parks Plan topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
County staff review draft chapters 1–2 of parks and open‑space plan; population assumptions questioned
Summary
Staff presented draft chapters 1–2 of the five‑year parks and open‑space plan, noted ~76 edits and a target 2027 publication, and explained that population projections used to set amenity targets have not matched recent trends; committee members asked how seasonal and nonresident property owners are accounted for in demand estimates.
Walworth County planning staff presented draft chapters 1 and 2 of the five‑year parks and open‑space plan at the Park Committee meeting on June 15 and asked members for feedback ahead of a target final publication in 2027.
Staff said the county opted to perform the update internally rather than pay an external vendor in order to control costs and remain eligible for grant funding. "We have to do five‑year updates to our parks and open space plan to be eligible for grant funding," a planning staff member said, adding that about 76 edits have been captured and that the county is soliciting input from conservation groups and municipalities.
Chapter 2 contains the inventory and population trend lines that drive asset recommendations (for example, how many picnic tables, amenities and acres of parkland to plan for). Staff noted earlier high‑growth projections that underpinned previous plans (which assumed a county population above 150,000 by mid‑century) have not come to pass. "We are not on that glide path," a staff member said, and the department is using more modest growth scenarios to set needs.
Committee members asked how the work accounts for nonresident property owners and seasonal housing common in the region. Staff said Sewer Pack data and DOA reports are used to adjust for vacancy and seasonal/recreational housing and that algorithms attempt to capture usage versus year‑round population. "Sewer Pack, particularly in their dataset, tried to account for that," staff said, and pointed to a paragraph in the draft that addresses seasonal and recreational housing effects on vacancy and use.
Staff also noted a CIP placeholder of $750,000 for acquisition or park improvements; the operating budget will not include expenditures for the Ford Park acquisition until negotiations with a third party conclude. The committee was told a multiparty meeting is being scheduled and that the County will await additional details before adding operating commitments.
Staff said they plan to bring chapter 3 for review at a future meeting and to continue soliciting municipal and conservation organization feedback before a fall public review. No formal vote was taken; the item was for direction and review.
