Title
Discussion with the Parks and Recreation Commission regarding the Pflugerville Parks, Recreation, and Open Space Master Plan.
Summary
The City Council approved a resolution adopting the Parks, Recreation, and Open Space Master Plan on May 24, 2011 following an in-depth study conducted by Design Workshop Inc. for the City.
The City's 2030 Comprehensive Plan and Parks, Recreation, & Open Space Master Plan provides goals, assessments, standards, recommendations, and strategies for implementation over a twenty-year period in an effort to provide for and continually improve park and recreational facilities, provide trail opportunities, preserve open space, and rehabilitate existing parks in the City of Pflugerville.
The plan guides future decisions regarding the Parks and Recreation Department and will have a substantial impact on needs for additional funding.
The primary objectives of the plan include:
• Addressing parks and recreation amenities.
• Prioritizing community needs for open space.
• Addressing services desired by citizens.
• Acquiring needed open space.
• Preserving natural resources.
In order to address the future recreational needs and collect data for the plan, City staff sought input from the citizens of Pflugerville through surveys, public meetings and the Pflugerville Parks and Recreation Commission and this input was included in the master plan.
The plan provides:
• Goals
• Assessments
• Standards
• Recommendations
• Strategies for implementation
The plan complies with Texas Parks and Wildlife Department guidelines and provides prioritized parks and recreation needs and an action plan for addressing needs.
The plan provides a twenty-year action plan; provide guidance in the application of funding; suggests alternative funding mechanisms; and provides guidance for the City's vision for growth of parks and recreation services.
The Parks and Recreation Commission and staff would like to have a dialogue with the City Council concerning several issues of importance to the Commission and staff at this time.
· The Parks, Recreation and Open Space Master Plan prioritizes significant capital expenditures through 2030. Attached are pages 96 and 97 from the plan which lists the priority projects that the plan suggests should be implemented by 2015, 2020, and 2030. The list includes over $95 million in projects to be acquired or constructed in the time period specified. Perhaps even more challenging is the fact that the operation and maintenance costs for these projects would exceed $3.5 million per year of additional costs by 2030.
Questions:
What guidance would the City Council provide to the Parks and Recreation Commission concerning the availability of funding to implement the Plan's projects in the short term (3 to 5 years)? In the long term (15 to 18 years)?
Are there any thoughts when a bond election might be considered?
If funding will not be available to implement the Plan's priorities in the life of the Plan, should the priorities of the plan be spread over a longer period of time (say 30 years)? Or should the goals of the plan be scaled back?
· What role should the City fulfill concerning youth sports?
The City should sponsor and manage organized youth sports leagues.
The City should provide facilities for youth sports leagues, and the management of the leagues be provided by associations.
The City should not be involved in facilities or management of organized youth sports leagues.
The City should be involved in developing new youth sports in the community, and once established, should migrate the management of the sport to an association.
· The City has investigated the need enhance the Parkland Dedication Ordinance to provide additional requirements which would require developers to not only dedicate parkland, but also to develop park facilities associated with the parkland. A city committee was created to develop recommendations, but the effort has not moved forward. The Commission is interested in restarting the process to adopt a new Parkland Dedication and Development Ordinance. How does the City Council feel about restarting the process?
Prior City Council Action
May 24, 2011
Deadline for City Council Action
No action to be taken.
Fiscal Impact
Fiscal impacts are to be determined.
Staff Recommendation
Discuss only.
Drafter
Tom Word, Assistant City Manager for Community Services