Tomorrow's Recreation: Parks, Recreation and Forestry's master plan seeks to set the stage for department's future

Yahoo

22-03-2025

Mar. 22—On Monday night, the Austin City Council agreed to move the Austin Parks, Recreation and Forestry Department's Master Plan out of work session to be considered for adoption at the upcoming April 7 meeting.
The plan itself has been a long-term project by the department that seeks to define a variety of parameters that will help clarify decision making processes for years to come. Parks and Rec contracted with MSA Professional Services to assist in the project.
"They were great because I had questions," said Jason Sehon, who was hired after the bulk of the plan had been formed. "They were able to modify the way we thought was more presentable and a more user-friendly plan that we were able to deliver to the Parks Board and then council for approval."
"Their knowledge helped carry this plan through to where we are today," he added.
In Monday night's presentation to the board, the plan outlined several purposes the department seeks to achieve with its drafting:
—Establish a long-range vision to help ensure that resources are used effectively and based on community benefits;
—Priority and budget for comprehensive improvement plans and Capital Improvement Projects;
—Gather and generate community support and build trust;
—Creates potential for developing private and public partnerships; and
—Assist in grant funding opportunities.
"It's basically a guideline or a road map to give us a vision for what we want to see in all things parks, recreation and trails for the city," Sehon said. "There's nothing concrete in there. There's no deadline here that says we have to do certain things here. These are all ideas based on current trends in recreation."
One of the earliest moves in the process was to conduct a community engagement survey between June and November in 2022 that collected 634 total responses and gained an overall view of demographics and those things under the Parks and Recreation umbrella.
It also provided a snapshot into key takeaways including the most popular parks, needed improvements and most common suggestions for new amenities among other takeaways.
During the process, certain ares found their way toward the top of the list in terms of project goals when the plan was being organized. One of those more pressing areas is ensuring that parks can be used by everybody.
"Accessibility is a big one," Sehon said. "A lot of our restrooms, playgrounds aren't really (ADA) accessible in our park system. To me it's an easy thing."
Another area is a more narrowed focus on maintenance of existing amenities in parks or how the parks might function in terms of service to the community.
During budget discussions this past year, the Austin City Council discussed from time to time parks and how they might fit into the overall concept of saving money in terms of time spent maintaining parks.
While there is no intention of doing away with parks through the master plan, Sehon said that the department and the Parks Board would instead look at how these parks are utilized.
"There is nothing in this plan that says we're going to eliminate park X," Sehon said. "We're not eliminating parks. Do we re-consider what park amenities are in a park location? Yeah. Does every park all over town need a playground that costs $150,000?"
"The Parks Board has talked about how many ways and other ways to manage parks ... and it's not always a playground," he continued.
At the same time, the plan isn't necessarily all encompassing. While some areas fall under the Parks and Rec banner, there are other projects that don't necessarily fit with what the plan aims to achieve.
Case in point is the current effort to stem the emerald ash borer infestation. Currently, Parks and Recreation crews are cutting down ash trees in Austin alongside Carr Tree Service, which the city contracted with for the first round of felling.
However, Sehon said that kind of effort tends to be separate from what the master plan is hoping to do, falling under a separate plan that was developed in partnership with Jay C. Hormel Nature Center Director Luke Reese and Rainbow Tree Care.
"It is somewhat of a different monster," he said, but added. "Tree planting could have a place here."
A major advantage to this plan is that it's something that doesn't need to be updated every three or five years. Instead, Sehon envisions the plan can be added to as areas of need become more prevalent.
However, anything that is made a part of the plan would require reaching to the public.
"If we're going to remove something and not replace it, we need to invite (the public) to be a part of the process because that's what we're here for," Sehon said. "If we're going to make a change that might concern people, we're going to get them to the table and involve people."
Sehon believes that with the added flexibility the plan offers, more options become available to Parks and Recreation as time moves on, and that can include adding new recreational opportunities while improving existing areas and maintaining equipment.
To that extent, he added that much of what the plan tries to do is already being factored into continuing efforts.
"I would argue it already has before it's even been adopted," Sehon said. "Just reading through this has helped me to know our next moves. Just the general knowledge that our staff has just reading through this. It puts every park on our radar again. It opens our eyes for possibilities. We're not limited by what's in here. What's the next big thing?"