Oak Ridge council holds aspirational recreation workshop; staff to define 'active' vs. 'passive' uses

The Town of Oak Ridge held a strategic-plan workshop on recreation where councilors and parks staff agreed the session should be aspirational rather than operational, and asked staff to draft definitions and an inventory of active versus passive park land. Bill, the staff presenter, opened the session by asking council to prioritize high-level goals and to set operational questions for later: "We're calling this a strategic plan update," he said.

Councilors identified recurring themes — maintaining a "tradition of excellence" in park upkeep, improving user experience (wayfinding, maps and online reservations), and planning for phased development of Heritage Farm Park. Members also instructed staff to return with a mapped inventory and a clear definition of what the town counts as "active" recreation before any numeric limit is locked in, reflecting differing figures discussed during the meeting (council members recited estimates ranging from roughly 13% to 17% for existing active acreage).