A Starting Place
“Communities are enhanced by its people, parks, and programs that create
a sense of place.”
In the year 2001, the City of Owensboro, Daviess County, Daviess County Parks Board, the Owensboro Metropolitan Parks Foundation and respective staff identified the need to update and refine its park and recreation services and facilities for the 21st century. Their goal was to develop a combined City and County Parks and Recreation Master Plan to guide both department’s efforts for the next ten years. Their hope was to engage and encourage the citizens of the city and county and their respective leaders to articulate the community’s needs for recreation and parks. In doing so, they will have helped to shape a Master Plan that will continue to build strong neighborhoods and create destination facilities to improve the quality of life in the City of Owensboro and Daviess County.
Parks and recreation services in the city and the county are at a crossroads. Historically, the two systems carved out separate agendas on how they provided recreation and parks services to their respective service areas. However, in keeping pace with the rapidly changing needs of the community required a careful evaluation of both systems and where they have been and where they need to work towards in the future. The Metropolitan Parks Foundation provided the leadership role in encouraging both departments to participate in a combined Master Plan that could carry them well into the 21st century. Currently the recreation and park needs of city residents and county residents are changing. They require different demands for parks, recreation programs and facilities. In addition the city has seen the value that recreation programs and events can play on the economic development side of the city. These two departments have prepared this plan to provide a framework to meet these challenges.
This combined Master Plan will benefit the community, elected officials and parks and recreation staff by providing a clear direction of what residents want both systems to provide in programs, facilities and parks. The implementation of this plan will benefit the citizens of the city and county for many years to come.
This Master Plan is a living document that will require an annual review of work accomplished and outcomes achieved. At a minimum, this plan should be updated every five years to keep pace with the changing Owensboro and Daviess County environment.
The City of Owensboro and Daviess County has a
diverse population and changing community environment. The Master Plan Steering Committee recognized the importance of long range planning to stay abreast of the needs of its citizens.
The purpose of this Master Plan is to address four primary challenges that are facing both departments.
(Understanding the Owensboro Community and the Parks and Recreation System)
Phase One included a thorough review of the entire parks and recreation system for both departments. The primary focus was to gather information and data. The data collected consisted of public opinions, facts and impressions of the entire parks and recreation system in both departments. This phase helped the consultant identify a baseline for understanding how the departments are organized and managed and how effective they are in meeting the community’s needs.
It was imperative that the Master Plan reflects the desires of the citizens of Owensboro and Daviess County. The community of the future is built on present day planning. The goal of the consulting team was to manage the future instead of managing the past for both departments. To assure the voices of the residents of the city and county were heard in this process, extensive public involvement was encouraged.
Ø Focus groups were conducted with the community and business leaders to discuss ideas and identify issues.
Ø Three public forums were held for the community in March 2001 to validate the identified issues and elicit more feedback.
Ø Partnership meetings were held with the agencies and businesses currently working with Owensboro and Daviess County in operational capacities.
Ø A community phone and mail survey was conducted in the city and the county to seek more public input into what citizens felt were most important for them as it applied to both park systems.
Key issues were identified and centered on these prevalent themes:
Ø School and City usage of public facilities.
Ø What to do with the Ice Arena?
Ø Development of consistent funding sources to support the necessary operations and resources in order to meet the demands of citizens.
Ø Marketing of services as it applies to programs and facilities for both the city and the county.
Ø Land acquisition needs in the county and city as it applies to equity of access.
Ø Partnerships with other service providers in the city.
Ø Maintenance and operational standards that are proactive and preventative.
Ø Indoor recreational needs as it applies to organized sports, fitness, teens and seniors
Ø Aquatic facility needs as it applies to existing pools and future pools.
Ø Recreation game field needs as it applies to soccer, football, softball and baseball.
Ø Combined City/County Department possibilities.
Ø Youth Sports entitlement of recreation facilities.
Ø Recreation program development as it applies to core services for both departments.
Ø Pricing of services that is consistent between the city and the county.
Ø How to manage the Sportscenter in the future.
An
analysis of both department’s operations and assets were conducted to gain insight
into current operational and maintenance standards and the quality and condition
of the assets under their management. Recreational programs were analyzed for
their current capabilities. The organizations were reviewed for their effectiveness
in the delivery of services. Demographics were examined to understand the impacts
on the services, facilities and programs. A benchmark survey was completed to
compare the two parks systems standards to other park and recreation standards
in similar size cities that have been recognized nationally for the excellence
in service delivery.
Ø Parks are not equitably distributed throughout the city or the county.
Ø Continue to acquire trail and greenway space to build the trail network around the city.
Ø Consistent maintenance standards need to be developed between the city and the county on how each manages sports fields.
Ø Older facilities must be refurbished, transferred or eliminated and new facilities developed to maximize the city and county resources.
Ø In comparison to other benchmarked systems Owensboro and Daviess County spend less per capita and they have less recreation facilities, operating budget and capital improvement budget monies to serve the needs of city and county residents.
Ø The city and county population is growing slowly but is becoming more diverse.
Ø Pricing of services in both the city and county are below comparable cities for similar type of services.
Ø The city and county lack infrastructure money to repair and upgrade existing facilities.
Ø There is a lack of recreation programs provided for citizens in the city and the county.
Ø Most residents were satisfied with the services offered by the city and the county but there is not enough provided.
Ø Citizens in the city and the county see parks first as a priority and recreation programs second which doesn’t create a balanced system for either department.
Ø Park maintenance standards of care was perceived as very good for the city and higher levels of maintenance standards are desired in the county.
Ø Programs targeted for youth and teens are seen as the most important for the city and the county to provide along with new programs targeted towards outdoor adventure.
Ø There is a lack of designated indoor space for recreation programs in the city and the county.
Ø Access to school facilities by either department to use is very limited because of the growth of girls and boys sports in the city and the county.
Ø Greater partnerships were desired between the other service providers in the city and the county.
The data gathered in this phase allowed the consultants to identify key issues in the community and develop a community-wide strategy both in the city and county citizens’ survey to test and validate the key issues that have been identified. The citizen survey was mailed to 4000 households with 600 household surveys completed, (300 in the city and 300 in the county). This provides a 95% level of confidence with a precision of at least +/- 4.0%.
Ø 29% respondents in the City indicated they participated in programs during the past 12 months.
Ø 39% of respondents in the City rated community special events as most important.
Ø Outdoor education and nature programs were rated at 22% as second most important.
Ø Baseball/softball were rated at 16% as third most important.
Ø Aquatic programs were rated at 16% as fourth most important.
Ø 60% of respondents in the City were very supportive or somewhat supportive of developing parks and facilities in the southern part of the City.
Ø Overall, respondents in the City were positive about the physical condition of the parks they had visited, with 88% rating them as either excellent (35%) or good (53%).
Ø 35% of respondents in the City indicated there are not enough parks, trails and open space areas within walking distance of their household.
Ø 35% of respondents in the County indicated they had participated in programs during the past 12 months.
Ø 36% of respondents in the County rated community special events for youth as one of the top 4 most important programs. 30% of respondents rated youth baseball/softball programs as one the top 4 programs, and 26% rated outdoor education/nature programs as one of the top 4.
Ø 68% of respondents in the County indicated there are not enough parks, trails and open space areas within walking distance of their household.
Ø Overall, respondents in the County were positive about the physical condition of the parks they had visited, with over 90% rating them as either excellent or good.
Ø 71% of respondents in the County were either very supportive or somewhat supportive of developing parks and facilities in East County.
Ø Exactly half (50%) of all respondents had learned of programs through the newspaper.
Ø Overall, respondents in all areas were positive about the programs, with 85% rating them as either excellent (25%) or good (60%).
Ø 86% of all respondents had visited a community park during the past year.
Ø Overall, respondents in all areas were positive about the physical condition of the parks they had visited, with 90% rating them as either excellent or good.
Ø 37% of all respondents rated community special events for youth as one of the top 4 most important programs.
Ø 42% of all respondents rated walking and biking trails as one of the top 4 most important facilities.
Ø Other service providers who respondents indicated they did use, Churches (62%) was the organization used most often by all respondents. Other organizations used most often included: State of Kentucky Parks (41%), local schools (39%), YMCA (32%), private clubs (32%) and youth sports leagues (28%).
Ø 54% of all respondents indicated there are not enough parks, trails and open space areas within walking distance of their household.
Ø 36% of all respondents listed drinking fountains as one of the top 3 improvements to be made, and 35% listed additional restrooms. Other improvements residents wanted to see made included: improved lighting (21%); picnic shelters (20%); walking trails (20%); upgraded playground equipment (16%); and shade trees (15%).
Ø 64% of all respondents were either very supportive (42%) or somewhat supportive (22%) of developing parks and facilities in East County.
Ø 43% of all respondents indicated emphasis should be placed on the development of small neighborhood parks and large multi-use community parks.
Ø The three parks and facilities most important for the City and County Parks and Recreation Departments to develop are multipurpose trails (32%), outdoor pools with water slides (29%), multipurpose indoor sports complex (29%), small parks in neighborhoods (26%), develop large community parks w/passive facilities (23%), and indoor ice-skating rink (15%).
When developing a Master Plan for the City of Owensboro, Leon Younger & PROS studied five cities other than Owensboro (pop. 54,067). Each city was selected for its location, size, and demographics. A benchmark analysis of programs and services of the city is a study that compares services, policy, parks and facilities of cities that are like size and in the same region of the country. The Master Plan Team identified the five cities that were to be used in this comparison. The study was initiated by sending out an eight-page survey to the parks and recreation departments of these cities with the intent to draw comparisons of series, philosophy and practice between the agencies. The survey was comprised of Parks and Facility Standards, Recreation Facilities, Cost Recovery Programs and Strategies, Cooperative Facility Use, Budgeting and Staffing, Non-traditional Recreation Functions, Special Recreation Functions, Program Information, Special Facility Use, and Team Sports Programs for Adults and Youth. Surveys were sent to the following locations Kettering, OH (pop.
57,502), Bowling Green, KY (pop. 49,400), Bloomington IN (pop. 66,000), Lawrence, KS (pop. 82,240), and Germantown, TN (pop. 32, 279).
The primary objective of the Benchmark Analysis was to determine how Owensboro’s Parks and Recreation Department compared to the other cities surveyed.
Parks
When benchmarked against the five aforementioned cities, Owensboro is in the middle of the pack based on population. The average population of the size cities is just under Owensboro’s reported population of 54,067. Of the cities that reported the total number of acres that they manage, Owensboro (314) is low by comparison to Bowling Green (1561), and Bloomington (1854).
Bowling Green, Kentucky has a large urban park of 658 acres and a golf complex that accounts for another 250 acres. Bloomington is responsible for a natural resource area of 1155 acres. Lawrence has the most miles of park trails with 70 miles. The next highest number was Bloomington with 44.7 miles.
Kettering surpasses
the other cities when comparing acreage for neighborhood parks with 122.7.
Areas where Owensboro parks appear to be lacking include trail systems, athletic
areas other than soccer, and large urban parks and school parks. Owensboro
comes up short when comparing the number of acres of open space the city owns
or manages. The national standard for park types is 12 to 15 acres per 1,000
people. Owensboro is 50% of the desired standard.
Key comparisons of one city, Bowling Green (pop. 49,400) versus Owensboro as follows. The other City comparisons are a part of the appendix.
City of Owensboro
Park Acres – 316 (does not include Hillcrest Golf Course, but does include new Southwest Park)
Game Courts – 33
Pools – 3 ( 2 Neighborhood and 1 Community)
Recreation Centers – 1 (Neighborhood)
City of Bowling Green
Park Acres - 776
Game Courts – 37
Pools- 2 (1 Family Aquatics and 1 Community)
Recreation Centers – 2 Community Centers
Phase II -- Recommendations
Once the data collection phase was completed, the information was analyzed and summarized. Needs were identified in several areas of the operation including parks, programs and recreational facilities, equity of services and cost of improvements.
These needs were reviewed and thoroughly discussed with the Master Plan Planning Committee. From this discussion, a future Vision Statement was created for both departments. The Vision Statements, which served as a catalyst and guide for the creation of recommendations, served as a beacon light for the Master Plan.
The Planning Committee developed the Vision by incorporating the community’s core values that will drive the overall vision, goals and management of both parks and recreation departments for their future. The community values that were established for parks and recreation are:
Ø Connectivity – Understanding the value and importance of connecting community neighborhoods through physical elements such as trails, community parks and signature recreation facilities, indoor and outdoor, as well as connecting with groups including public, private and not-for-profit organizations through effective partnerships.
Ø Equity of Access to parks and recreation facilities – Creating two parks systems that support community access physically, economically, and socially to all parks, programs and facilities managed and operated by both the city and the county.
Ø Developing signature recreation facilities – Signature recreation and park facilities help community members embrace product loyalty and promote local tourism and community pride.
Ø Establish what the core businesses are for both departments – To provide the citizens with the most effective quality managed programs and services.
Ø Develop a lifetime customer – Developing and initiating programs that support families, youth, and seniors that encourage lifelong participation and loyalty for both parks and recreations systems.
Ø Quality management of public assets and services – Adopt the most effective and creative methods of managing the community’s capital assets by implementing quality standards and preventative maintenance programs that demonstrate a positive image and safety to all users.
Ø Creativity in managing and operating parks and recreation facilities and programs – Adopt the most effective and creative methods of providing facility and program services in the most efficient manner utilizing effective business and marketing practices.
Ø Natural Resource Protection -- The development of a management strategy to protect natural areas from becoming depleted. Natural resource protection often considers the multiple benefits to the community of flood control and water.
 |
Creating the Vision
The Visioning Process is one that depends on understanding where an organization and community have been in the past and where they chooses to go in the future. Parks and recreation community visions are created through effective community involvement. The community outlined, through several input processes, what it values, what parts of the past should be included and updated and the issues it felt were most important to address.
Communities are ever changing entities. In order to understand how a community is to change in the future, it is necessary to appreciate its history and culture. The vision that has been created by the community for both parks and recreation departments provides an overall direction for the future on which to build. It is important to remember that this document is dynamic and must change over time because the makeup and nature of the community is ever changing. As a culture of the community changes, adjustments will be made to the plan to address these changes.
“The Owensboro Parks and Recreation Department will provide a variety of parks, recreation facilities and program experiences equitably throughout the community. Programs will be developed and maintained to the highest quality, ensuring a safe environment with exceptional service while developing a lifetime customer. Services will demonstrate a positive economic investment through partnerships with other service providers, both public and private, ensuring a high quality of life for citizens of Owensboro.”
Vision Statement for Daviess County Parks and Recreation
“ The Daviess County Parks and Recreation Department vision is to develop a series of signature parks and recreational facilities geographically situated in the County that create opportunities for citizens to engage in a variety of passive and active recreational activities.”
From these two vision statements, and core values of the community, nine vision action strategies were developed to guide the organizations for the future. These vision strategies will become the core of all future planning engaged by both Parks and Recreation Departments.
Recommended Vision Action Strategies
Vision Action Strategy 1:
“Our vision is to maximize use of public facilities through efficient management of permitted parks and recreation space for public, not-for-profit and private use”.
This vision statement addresses the need to expand written partnership policies as it applies to use of public facilities in Owensboro and Daviess County with public/public partners, public/ not-for-profit partners and private partnerships. A priority of use classification is needed based on the community values established for the type of partnerships in place.
Vision Action Strategy 2:
“ Our vision is to develop a joint (city/county) youth and adult sports commission to address consistency in how both the city and county will develop and manage field use with all youth and adult sports groups in the region in the future”.
This vision statement addresses the need for consistent maintenance standards for game fields in the region. It also addresses the need for consistent scheduling of fields for practice and games as it applies to city and county fields. Currently there are inequities on who gets fields and when, and there is lack of sharing by sports groups of public facilities, which doesn’t allow the city or county to maximize use.
Vision Action Strategy 3:
“Our vision is to develop a joint (city/county) pricing policy based on the level of individual and group exclusivity provided”.
This vision statement addresses the inequities and inconsistencies in pricing of recreation services and facilities between the city and the county. It is important that the city and county work together on effective pricing so they do not pit users against them.
Vision Action Strategy 4:
“Our vision is to develop a multi-use intergenerational indoor recreation facility to support the city and county’s needs for ice-skating, swimming, gym sports, fitness, and general recreation program uses”.
This vision statement addresses the need for indoor recreation facilities in Owensboro and Daviess County. It also addresses what to do with outdated and under utilized facilities both indoor and outdoor in the city and the county.
Vision Action Strategy 5:
“Our vision is to acquire parklands in both the city and county to achieve 12 acres per thousand population in the city and 15 acres per thousand in the county”.
This vision addresses the equity issues as it applies to neighborhood parks in the city and regional parks in the county. This vision also addresses the need to continue to acquire trail and greenway space to build the trail network to tie county parks to the trail and continue to link city parks to the trail. This vision also addresses the need for additional parkland in the county and in certain areas of the city that lack parks.
Vision Action Strategy 6:
“Our vision is to establish appropriate and equitable levels of funding to meet the community’s vision for parks and recreation in the city and county”.
This vision addresses the need for additional funding for both the city and county parks and recreation departments as it applies to capital improvement and operational costs that are needed to support the community’s vision. Currently both departments are under funded in relationship to supporting the operational and capital costs to bring the departments’ assets and services up to a year 2002 level.
Vision Action Strategy 7:
“Our vision is to develop equitable partnerships with public and not-for-profit organizations that help serve the recreational needs of the citizens”.
This vision statement addresses the need for the departments to maximize their resources through effective management options as it applies to partnerships. The departments must reach out and establish effective partnerships that are equitable and allow for both partners to grow effectively in the delivery of services.
Vision Action Strategy 8:
“Our vision is to maximize all available resources to generate the funds to develop and operate parks, recreation facilities and program services to their highest efficiency level”.
This vision statement addresses the need to maximize its resources through effective management options as it applies to performance-based outcomes. The performance measures outcomes that both departments need to focus in on are cost per experience, capacity of use, customer satisfaction and resource management. This will ensure the opportunity to explore new funding options, more entrepreneurial thinking and higher levels of accountability and responsibility.
Vision Action Strategy 9:
“Our vision is to maximize the community’s recognition and awareness of the programs and services the City of Owensboro and Daviess County provides”.
This vision statement applies to the need for both departments to create a stronger approach to communicating with the citizens of the region of the services and facilities they offer. Through the community evaluation process, many people interviewed did not know of the services that were provided by both departments. Most of the information on the departments’ services and facilities came from the newspaper in the community but more direct targeting is needed.
Parks and Facilities Guideline Recommendations
With the use of geographic information systems, the parks and facilities were mapped in the city and the county. The information was overlaid with demographic estimates and projections to determine service areas. These service areas identified gaps of parks and facilities within the city and county.
By the year 2012, both departments should acquire and develop the following additional parks and facilities.
Standards and
Guidelines – Community Wide Approach
Ø Acreage Level Standard: City (12 acres per 1,000 population). The City should have 648 acres, it has 316, so the total acres needed to meet standard is 332.
Ø Acreage Level Standard: County (15 acres per 1,000 population). The County should have 555 acres, it has 233, so the total acres needed to meet standard is 322.
Ø Football Field Level Standard: City and County (1 field per 10,000 population). The City and County should have 5 fields, they have 5, so the total fields needed to meet standard is 0.
Ø Ice Rink Level Standard: City and County (1 ice rink per 50,000 population). The City and County should have 2 ice rinks, they have 1, so the total ice rinks needed to meet standard is 1.
Ø Playground Level Standard: City and County (1 playground per 2,500 population). The City and County should have 37 playgrounds, they have 15, so the total playgrounds needed to meet standard is 22.
Ø Soccer Level Standard: City and County (1 field per 4,000 population). The City and County should have 23 fields, they have 14, so the total fields needed to meet standard is 9.
Ø Baseball Level Standard: City and County (1 field per 5,000 population). The City and County should have 18 fields, they have 23, so the total fields needed to meet standard is 0.
Ø Softball Level Standard: City and County (1 field per 4,000 population). The City and County should have 23 fields, they have 27, so the total fields needed to meet standard is 0.
Ø Gym Level Standard: City and County (1 gym per 4,000 population). The City and County should have 23 gyms, they have 2, so the total gyms needed to meet standard is 21.
Ø Tennis Level Standard: City and County (1 court per 4,000 population). The City and County should have 23 courts, they have 28, so the total courts needed to meet standard is 0.
Ø Basketball Courts Outside Level Standard: City and County (1 court per 2,500 population). The City and County should have 37 courts, they have 10, so the total courts needed to meet standard is 27.
Ø Golf Course Level Standard: City and County (1 course per 25,000 population). The City and County should have 4 courses, they have 4, so the total courses needed to meet standard is 0.
Ø Flat Water Pools Level Standard: City and County (1 pool per 20,000 population). The City and County should have 5 pools, they have 3, so the total pools needed to meet standard is 2.
Ø Aquatic Center Level Standard: City and County (1 center per 50,000 population). The City and County should have 2 aquatic centers, they have none, so the total aquatic centers needed to meet standard is 2.
Recommendations
The ability to project the costs associated with making the park and facility improvements are necessary in order to plan for the future. Based upon the parks and facilities recommendations, the cost to phase in the land acquisition, development, improvements to existing assets and construction of new facilities is estimated to
be $24,270,000 for the city over the next 10 years and $13,333,000 for the county over the next 10 years.
If the City of Owensboro and Daviess County would jointly develop facilities, these projects would have greater success in achieving the community’s vision.
Capital Improvement Costs
(10-Year Plan)
|
City Summarization |
|
|
Improvement Costs to Existing |
$ 2,031,000 |
|
New Facilities |
$17,089,000 |
|
Land Acquisitions |
$ 5,150,000 |
|
Total |
$24,270,000 |
Daviess County Master Plan
Capital Improvement Costs
(10-Year Plan)
|
Daviess County Summarization |
|
|
Improvement Costs to Existing |
$ 3,613,000 |
|
New Facilities |
$ 5,120,000 |
|
Land Acquisitions |
$ 3,600,000 |
|
Land Acquisitions Outside Beltway |
$ 1,000,000 |
|
Total |
$13,333,000 |
Phase III—Implementation
The Implementation Phase reflected the combined efforts of all staff and planning committee members involved in the planning process. Wide acceptance of these strategies and tactics was due to staff and planning committee members’ involvement in creating the goals, the vision actions strategies, and tactics of the plan. As a result, this shared vision will help both organizations progress to a changed environment driven to advance through common community goals and common policies between both organizations.
Numerous policies were developed to support the Vision Strategies. These policies enabled staff and the planning committee to assign timelines, budgets, human resources and tactics. The Action Plan Matrix included
in the full report delineates numerous actions to ensure both organizations deliver on the full potential of what
the community expects. The following components are highlights from each section.
Vision Strategy 1. for both City and County.
Our vision is to maximize use of public facilities through efficient management of permitted parks and recreation space for public, not-for-profit, and private use.
1.1 City and County ----- Expand written partnership polices for public/public use, public/non-for-profit use, and public/private use of City and County owned facilities.
1.2 City and County ----- Establish a priority of use classification system based on community values and recreational and educational needs.
1.3 City and County ----- Establish an effective pricing policy for use based on the level of benefit received and reciprocal investments made between groups who use City and County facilities.
1.4 City ----- Develop a recreation facilities plan for future development between the City and all school systems based on population standards for number of fields and courts needed to meet the recreation demand.
1.5 County ----- Provide existing land for use by the County parks for recreation programs and facilities.
Vision Action Strategy 2. for both the City and the County.
Our vision is to develop a joint (city/county) youth and adult sports commission to address consistency in how both the city and county will develop and manage field use with all youth and adult sports groups in the region.
2.1 City and County----- Establish
an equitable field use policy for all groups to meet in order to maximize the
public resources available.
2.2 City and County -----Establish a true activity based costing model for field and court use and a consistent subsidy strategy for how each sports group is managed based on equitable standards.
2.3 City and County----- Establish a Youth and Adult Sports Commission to help meet operational issues as it applies to maintenance costs and capital improvements.
2.4 City and County -----Establish maintenance standards for all sports groups to follow and adhere.
2.5 City and County -----Maximize the use of field space through effective practice and game field allocation within the classification and priority of users.
Vision Action Strategy 3. for both the City and the County.
Our vision is to develop a joint (city/county) pricing policy based on the level of individual and group exclusivity provided.
Goal: Establish Effective User Fee Pricing of Recreation Services
3.1 City and County ----- Evaluate true costs of all services provided to measure the level of tax subsidy being provided by each agency for recreation services.
3.2 City and County ----- Allow each agency to establish the levels of tax subsidy they want for individual and group recreation services through the pricing policy established.
3.3 City and County ----- Establish an effective communication plan for all users to demonstrate costs and the level of investments they and the governing bodies are providing to deliver the service.
3.4 City and County ----- Seek to achieve a balance between taxes and user fees for operational costs in both governing bodies budgets.
Vision Action Strategy 4. for the City
Our vision is to develop a multi-use intergenerational indoor recreation facility to support the city and county residents’ needs for ice-skating, swimming, gym sports, fitness, and general recreation program uses.
Vision Action Strategy 4. for the County
Our vision is to develop an outdoor family aquatic center for city and county residents to support the community needs for an updated swimming facility that is regional in size and bather capacity.
Goal: Develop Indoor and Outdoor Recreation Facilities to Serve all Demographic Groups in the City and County.
4.1 City----- Close or transfer existing indoor or outdoor recreation facilities to other service providers where appropriate.
4.2 County----- The County will evaluate where a partnership could exist in developing a large family aquatic facility to serve the residents of the city and county in one pool complex.
4.3 County----- The County Parks Department will continue to work jointly with the county schools in providing recreation playground sports programs on school district properties.
4.4 City----- The City will consider other potential partners to participate in the development of the
Rec-plex facility to include the local hospital, school systems, YMCA, or Boys and Girls Club.
4.5 City----- The City will conduct a feasibility study to evaluate space requirements, operating costs, and revenue strategies to fund the development and operational costs of the Rec-Plex.
4.6 City-----Either close or incorporate the ice rink into the Rec-Plex.
4.7 City----- The City will transfer the Downtown Parking Garage to the RiverPark Center to manage.
Vision Action Strategy 5 for both City and County
Our vision is to acquire park land in both the city and county to achieve a ratio of 12 acres per thousand population in the city and 15 acres per thousand in the county.
Goal: Acquire Park Land Where Inequities Exist
5.1 County----- The County will acquire land for a third regional park in the south central area of the county.
5.2 City ----- The City will acquire a balance of neighborhood and community parks citywide to support the active and passive needs of residents.
5.3 County----- The County will acquire buffer property around Yellow Creek and Panther Creek Parks to protect the encroachment of development near the existing parks.
5.4 City----- The City will continue to acquire trail and greenway space to build the trail network around the city.
5.5 County ----- The County will work jointly with the local county school system to identify where game field areas are needed in underserved areas of the county for the County to develop for youth and adults.
5.6 City and County ----- The City and County will seek every opportunity to acquire property next to existing parks to expand recreation services.
5.7 County----- The County will work with the City to develop recreation easements to link the county regional parks to the city’s trail network.
5.8 City and County----- The City and County will work jointly to develop a partnership with a land trust to assist the city in acquiring and holding property for future parklands.
5.9 City and County ----- The City and County needs to be involved in developer plans to ensure all goals of the master plan can be incorporated into development documents.
5.10 County----- The County needs to develop a strategy to transfer small county parks to specific city groups or associations via a lease.
Vision Action Strategy 6 for both City and County
Our vision is to establish appropriate levels of funding to meet the community’s vision for parks and recreation in the city and county.
Goal: Establish Appropriate Levels of Funding
6.1 City and County----- Seek to increase operating funds to adequately support daily operations.
6.2 City and County----- Develop revenue producing recreation facilities to reduce tax subsidy levels.
6.3 City and County----- Consider the development of a park district to maximize efficiency and eliminate duplication of services.
Vision Action Strategy 7 for both City and County
Our vision is to develop equitable partnerships with public and not-for-profit organizations that help serve the recreational needs of the citizens.
Goal: Establish Effective and Equitable Partnerships
7.1 City and County----- Develop an activity based costing program to measure the equity levels of each existing partnership.
7.2 City and County-----Establish three written partnership policies as it applies to public/public, public/private, and public/not-for-profit groups.
7.3 City and County----- Seek partnerships in future program and facility development in the city and the county with all service providers where appropriate.
7.4 City and County----- Establish measurable outcomes of existing partnerships to demonstrate the impact of this goal to the city and county leaders.
Vision Action Strategy 8 for both City and County
Our vision is to maximize all available resources to generate the funds to develop and operate parks, recreation facilities and program services to their highest efficiency level.
Goal: Maximize Community Resources to Fund the Master Plan Vision
8.1 City and County----- Establish true cost of tasks the city and county produces to determine alternatives to achieve more efficiency.
8.2 County----- Develop a request for proposal (RFP) process on those services or tasks the department would like to outsource or competitively bid out.
8.3 City and County----- Establish an updated mission statement with measurable outcomes and objectives that will be updated every two years.
8.4 City and County----- Identify internal customers and establish standards for communication, systems control and measurable objectives that support users needs.
8.5 City and County----- Develop a technology master plan that will evaluate what access is needed, what equipment and software needs to be upgraded and staff training that needs to be conducted to improve use of technology.
8.6 City and County----- Create flow charts for all systems that will reduce operations and streamline efficiency.
8.7 City and County----- Seek all available funding options to help offset operating costs and provide the highest levels of program and maintenance standards.
8.8 County----- Create an outdoor programmer position to create opportunities for citizens to learn and experience county parks.
Vision Action Strategy 9 for the City
Our vision is to maximize the community’s recognition and awareness of the programs and services the City of Owensboro provides.
9.1 Develop a marketing plan to improve managing customers’ needs.
9.2 Create a marketing position to promote user benefits and program services to meet customer needs.
Conclusion
The City and County Parks and Recreation Departments had the vision to develop this joint Master Plan to create stronger departments and to address the community’s vision for recreation and parks in the city and the county. As a result, this 10-year Master Plan was produced. A tremendous amount of time, energy, work and community input has been taken in order to make this Master Plan possible.
The City of Owensboro and Daviess County Parks and Recreation Departments developed their vision by focusing on community values, past history, trends and key issues that need to be resolved. These core values include family, equity of access, convenience, image, quality, safety, youth and trails.
The City of Owensboro and Daviess County have many opportunities to create strong departments. By creating links between the community and parks the departments will create effective levels of advocacy and support for their mission and vision. Developing signature parks and facilities and maintaining existing parks can increase revenue potential and promote livability in Owensboro and Daviess County. Increasing services and programs will develop a lifetime customer. These are only a few of the opportunities listed in this Master Plan.
The Consultants have completed their work and delivered the final report. The City of Owensboro and Daviess County must now use all the data, recommendations and processes to implement this
Plan. It is necessary to consistently monitor trends that affect the recommendations and act accordingly. It is equally important to gain community input and allow for staff training and development when needed.
The consultants’ work is finished—the real work of the Owensboro and Daviess County Parks and Recreation Departments, elected officials and the community has just begun.
