Laserfiche WebLink
Metadata
Document management portal powered by Laserfiche WebLink 9 © 1998-2015 Laserfiche. All rights reserved.
ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION — FEBRUARY 10, 2025 2 <br />Bryce Shearen outlined that the presentation will walk through what a Parks Master Plan is, <br />project understanding and approach, engagement, budget and next steps. This is Council's <br />opportunity to say what they would like to see included in this plan. <br />Bryce Shearen said the Park System Master Plan is a community -driven comprehensive <br />document that outlines the vision for a community's parks and recreation facilities. It is a long <br />term vision and it is best if the documents are updated every ten years. The Master Plan will <br />include inventory and analysis of existing conditions. It will look at demographics and park <br />usage. If there are gaps in the parks, trails, open spaces or any of the park amenities, this will <br />identify those gaps. <br />Councilmember Holden asked how gaps were identified. <br />Bryce Shearen responded it will identify a physical gap or if there is a location that doesn't have <br />a playground or open space but should. This plan will also look at local and national trends and <br />look for funding opportunities. The plan will include a review and recommendation on <br />maintenance and operation. <br />Bryce Shearen said the Master Plan will be a comprehensive compilation of a lot of sources of <br />information. Once complete this will be a guide to help make decisions. Having a Master Plan can <br />help manage the expectations of the community. They have worked with several other <br />communities were facing different types of maintenance, a wish list of amenities from residents. <br />This process can help align the wish list items with the priorities of the community. This can help <br />determine what the community needs, not just what they want. This plan will help set guidelines <br />for how the park system will operate for the next five to fifteen years. <br />Bryce Shearen shared the previous Park System Plan was completed in 2002. This will serve as a <br />guide for the Public Works Department and the Parks, Trails and Recreation Committee (PTRC). <br />The Master Plan will validate upcoming improvement projects and chart out those improvements <br />over the next five or ten years. This will be a good resource to help plan for the future and also <br />aligns different funding sources to make improvements at various parks. A lot of funding sources <br />and grant opportunities require a plan like this. Having a Park Master Plan shows that the City is <br />listening to the community and it shows a commitment to the process. There is a lot of <br />competition for the few Parks and Recreation grants that are available. If you can show you've <br />done the work to understand what the community needs, it will put the City in a better position to <br />receive funding. <br />Bryce Shearen said there are four major components to the process. These components are <br />information gathering, findings and visioning, draft recommendations and final plan. The <br />information gathering stage includes internal and external data collection. Internally, it will help <br />us understand what amenities are in place, the proximity of residents to the parks, how many <br />residents visit the parks and what amenities they are using. It will also determine if there are <br />certain parks that are visited more than others and why. External information gathered will be <br />those national metrics that will compare Arden Hills to regional and national standards. <br />Councilmember Rousseau asked what national standards are used. <br />