City of
Common
Council Report
Meeting Date:
Item No.:
Recommendation: That
the Council adopt Resolution No. 10869-052008 which would approve the update of
the City’s Park and Open Space Plan.
Background: A plan update has been prepared by the staff
of the Department of Community Development the Parks, Recreation, and Forestry
Department. This plan follows a similar format to that which was used in the
1998 plan. It assessed the needs for parkland and parkland facilities that
meets the demand of City residents; identified and defined the parkland system
by park types; proposed acquisition of lands best suited for park and open
space purposes; defined parkland facility standards and applied them towards
neighborhood park development; updated demographic changes and analyzed how it
relates to park and open space needs; and identified goals and objectives for
the next five years as it pertains to the acquisition and development of
parkland and park facilities. The plan also includes a proposed five year
Capital Improvement Program to implement the plan’s recommendations.
In addition to the above benefits, the City
also benefits from adopting the Park and Open Space Plan by becoming eligible
for grants such as the Stewardship Fund, funded by the Department of Natural
Resources (DNR), which provides matching funds to municipalities for park and
open space acquisition and development. However, for the City to remain
eligible for these grants, the updated plan will need to be approved.
The updated plan has been reviewed and
approved by the Parks, Recreation, and Forestry Commission and the Plan
Commission. Both commissions have recommended to the Common Council that the
plan be adopted by Resolution No. 10869-052008.
Copies of the Park & Open Space Plan have
been distributed to the Council for their review. A
copy is also available in the City Clerk’s Office.
Fiscal
Impact:
The extent of the impact of this plan will be determined by the amount of
funding provided by the Council toward the implementation of this plan
|
Prepared by: Director of Community Development |
Prepared by: Doug Schachtner, Director of Parks, Recreation &
Forestry |
|
Fiscal Review by: Pamela Bauer, City Clerk |
Respectfully submitted, Patrick DeGrave City Administrator |