Over the last year, Council and City staff members have worked to fine-tune and complete our 10-year Strategic Recreation and Parks Plan. At the end of March, the Johns Creek City Council adopted the plan.
The adopted the Recreation and Parks Strategic Plan serves as a guide for decision-making based on extensive research, experience and community input. The Plan aims to achieve a balance between the need to provide parks, facilities and programs with the costs of securing the required land, development of specific recreational facilities and increased operations.
In April 2015, the city partnered with the consulting firm of Mack Cain Design Studios at Travis Pruitt and Associates to assist in the development of the Plan. The six-month planning process included extensive community outreach that included interviews, surveys, community meetings and social media interactions. More than 1,500 individuals participated in the planning process.
Rather than just apply the National Recreation and Parks Association standards to determine the number of park facilities (sports fields, tennis courts, restrooms, etc.) needed, we took a holistic view of recreation amenities provided in and around our community.
This Plan would not have been possible without the help of the community. Their feedback enabled us to create something that reflects the wants and needs of our residents.
The input from the community helped to guide specific recreation and park needs and desires for the Plan and identify various potential options by which to fund the projects.
The feedback and study we received indicated a broad range of amenities that our residents are especially interested in obtaining. These include the acquisition of additional park land, expansion of recreational facilities, addition of multi-purpose turf athletic fields, development of an indoor recreation center, expansion of facilities and programs for seniors, addition of a cricket field, connectivity between parks and activity centers, a broader range of programs to serve all age groups, planning for a city-wide recreational greenway/trail system, improvements to existing facility maintenance practices and strategic improvements at each existing park.
While the Plan will take many years to fully implement, we will begin the process immediately. The community will play an integral role throughout and will be asked to be involved every step of the way.
We develop our recreation and parks programs not just for us, but for our children’s children and all future families that will call Johns Creek home in the years and decades to come.
So this summer, I encourage you to take a stroll, join a class, catch an outdoor concert, learn a little more about the history of our area, and just take some time to enjoy one of our most important assets — our parks.
As always, please stay connected with us online via Facebook and Twitter, and keep track of the latest news via the City’s new interactive website.
to your business!