Parks & Recreation Strategic Plan

Page 1


58 parks

major/minor league baseball stadium

2

3 libraries

competitive swimming pools

27 hole municipal golf course

7 cemeteries

5

recreation centers


ABOUT US

The City of Lakeland is a central Florida community located on the I-4 corridor. With a population of 101,517 and 75 square miles of land it is the largest city between Tampa and Orlando. The city employs 2718 people, has a city manager/commissioner form of government, with an annual budget of $530,217,651. The City of Lakeland desires to maintain quality recreational, library and park amenities and programs that reflect the unique image and character of Lakeland. The city recognizes that parks and recreational programs provide social benefits which connect residents and attract visitors to the community. Parks and public spaces improve the quality of life and positively impact the economic development of the city. The Department of Parks and Recreation consists of five divisions; parks, recreation, libraries, cemeteries and Cleveland Heights Golf Club and employs 238 full time and 177 part time employees. The department manages 58 parks, a major/minor league baseball stadium, 5 recreation centers, 2 competitive swimming pools, an interactive fountain, 3 libraries, 7 cemeteries and a 27 hole municipal golf course. The Department of Parks and Recreation FY16 operating and maintenance budget is $23,359,597. The capital improvement budget for the department is $11,634,367 not including stadium improvements or trail improvements. Trails are funded under the department of public works through the Transportation Fund. A $41 million baseball stadium renovation is underway and is funded by the State of Florida and Board of County Commission of Polk County. Planning for the department occurs through the office of the Director. The Parks & Recreation Master Plan, Impact Fee Study, Bicycle and Trail Plan and Comprehensive Plan Master Plan guide infrastructure needs of the department. The plans are updated regularly and adopted by the city commission.


STRATEGIC PLANNING PROCESS The City of Lakeland has a Strategic Planning process that occurs annually in preparation for budget development. The city vision, mission statement and goals are reviewed and adopted in a City Commission Strategic Planning Workshop. This workshop is open to the public and all department heads and assistants are required to attend. The city process obtains input from various groups to establish initiatives and priorities for the next year as actionable items. Input is obtained from the public through a citizen survey. An environmental scan of trends affecting our community which include demographic, land development, technology, legislation and economic trends is conducted. Departments present their priorities and opportunities to the public and city commission. The City Commission brings forth their initiatives and priorities. All priorities are listed and the city commission ranks the priorities and determines which initiatives will move forward to the budget process. In preparation for the City strategic planning process the Department of Parks and Recreation holds a leadership retreat of the five division supervisors and assistants. In preparation for the retreat each division is asked to prepare a SWOT analysis of their division and present to the group. The department reviews and approves a department vision, mission and goal statements. Each division presents their issues and they are placed on a wall and prioritized by the group. A list of prioritized issues is submitted to the city management team as recommended action items for consideration of the city commission in their strategic planning workshop. Any items that are prioritized by the commission advance as actionable items in the city Business Operating Plan for funding consideration in the following fiscal year.


Reviewing the City of Lakeland

VISION, MISSION & Statements GOAL The City of Lakeland vision, mission and goal statements were reviewed and approved at the City Commission Strategic Planning Workshop April 30 & May 1, 2015. The vision and mission statements were reapproved without alteration and remain:

VISION

Lakeland-a vibrant, innovative, culturally inclusive world-class community.

MISSION

A community working together to achieve an exceptional quality of life.


The six strategic goal statements were reapproved without alteration and remain:

Quality of Life: Provide quality public spaces; deliver superior municipal services; and support arts, education, recreation and wellness.

Fiscal Management: Develop and effectively manage financial resources.

Communication: Develop an informed and engaged community.

Growth Management: Ensure planning and infrastructure results in quality development and safe, attractive neighborhoods.

Economic Opportunity: Create and encourage inclusive, lasting environments that grow, attract, and retain a creative, talented, educated, and technically qualified workforce.

Governance: Provide for responsive and responsible governmental service. The city commission voted to prioritize the goals and the results are shown in the table 1-Prioritization of Strategic Goal Statements.

GOAL

AVERAGED SCORE

Quality of Life

28.14

Communication

18.43

Economic Opportunity

20.43

Fiscal Management

19.14

Growth Management

13.86 Table 1-Prioritization of Strategic Goal Statements


On January 22, 2015 at the Parks and Recreation leadership retreat the vision, mission and goal statements were reviewed. The group voted to adopt the city Vision statement as the agency vision statement. The city Mission statement was reviewed and it was decided that the agency would adopt their own. The old agency mission statement was “The Mission of the Lakeland Parks & Recreation Department is to promote and enhance the Quality of Life for all citizens of Lakeland by Providing Superior Service and opportunities in recreation, library, cemetery and park experiences.� A new Mission Statement was adopted: Vision: Lakeland-a vibrant, innovative, culturally inclusive world-class community. Mission: Partnering with the community to deliver superior services and opportunities in Recreation, Library, Golf, Cemetery and Park experiences. The six city strategic goal statements remain the goal statements for the agency as well as the city. Leadership did not review the goals as delineated in the Parks & Recreation Master Plan as the plan was to be updated in 2015/16 and the goals and objectives would be revisited at that time. Please see Exhibit A for department goals and objectives. The City of Lakeland’s Comprehensive plan contains a Recreation and Open Space Element which outlines general functions of the Parks and Recreation Department. This plan provides overall inventory, sets minimum levels of service standards and goals, objectives and policies for the department. The plan assesses the state of health of Lakeland recreation facilities comparatively to state and national level of service standards.


GOALS, OBJECTIVES CHALLENGES & SUCCESSES Alignment with goals begs a broad and inclusive statement of intent. The Parks and Recreation Department created the following statement of intent:

GOAL:

To ensure adequate recreation and open space opportunities for all sectors of the community and enhance the quality of life Lakeland offers through the development of attractive parks and open spaces.

Objective 1:

Provide a supply and variety of recreation opportunities to meet public need and respond to adopted level of service standards within the planning period.

SUCCESSES

Transfer of Police Athletic League from the Lakeland Police Department to Parks & Recreation. The Lakeland PAL organization was created in 1993 and was housed in Simpson Recreation Center but managed by LPD. The organization out grew the facility. In 2015 Pal moved to a new home on 2nd Street and the organization headed by an Executive Director is now managed by the Recreation Division. This partnership allowed for additional community outreach and services additional at risk children. Creation of an additional northwest teen summer camp site. A community task force was created in response to an unprecedented year of teen gang violence. P&R was integrally involved in the task force and created a summer camp site to attract high risk teens to a supervised program. Wedgewood Park creation. Partnership with private development allowed for the P&R department to lease eighteen acres of recreation space for $1/year for 5 years. The land was developed for football and baseball by a private school which was sold for a change in land use. The owner is pursuing transfer of density rights from this parcel to another development. When the PUD is approved by the city commission the developer will donate the 18 acres to the city for park and recreation use. No capital improvements are planned for the site until the land conveyance is complete. The site will be the future home to PAL football and baseball. Development of six pickelball courts at Woodlake Park. Two unused tennis courts were repurposed to accommodate the demand for pickleball. Lake Crago Park and Recreation Center-Develop a northeast community park and recreation center identified as a need in the 2005 Parks, Recreation & Trails Master Plan. Phase 1 of the park was completed in 2015. Additional phases are scheduled for construction in FY16, FY18, FY19 & FY23. The department has decided to consolidate division marketing efforts under one umbrella and created a position, P&R Marketing Associate. We have hired a marketing consultant to create a department Marketing Plan. Implementation of the plan will be orchestrated by the P&R Marketing Associate with division managers.

CHALLENGES Staffing does not proportionally increase with added facilities and parks therefore the maintenance level of service is declining. Efficiencies are required to accommodate additional recreational acreage and facility growth.


PAL Complex FIRST STAND ALONE FACILITY - DEDICATED AUGUST 2015


GOALS, OBJECTIVES CHALLENGES & SUCCESSES Objective 2:

Continue to improve coordination with public agencies and the private sector to encourage the efficient and equitable provision of recreation facilities and opportunities.

SUCCESSES

Se7en Wetlands Park is a 1640 acre site currently owned and managed by the city wastewater utility as a polishing wetland for water treatment, it is closed to the public. A partnership with the wastewater department will allow this facility to be opened to the public. A master plan was created for the facility in collaboration with Polk County Department of Leisure Services. The facility is contiguous with three county parks, Lois Harpe Park, Lake Highland Scrub and Mulberry Park. The site will ultimately have 22 miles of pedestrian trails, an educational discovery center and numerous passive recreational activities. The site will be opened in 2016 with phase 1 of 7 miles of trails and limited amenities. Future development will occur as funding becomes available through grants and partnerships. No city funds have been designated in the long range capital improvement program at this time beyond phase 1. Partnering with the various veteran groups in the city and county has brought two new monuments to Veteran’s Park. The WWII and Iraq/Afghanistan monuments were added to the park this year. Home Depot continues to provide landscape grants to Veteran’s projects. They partnered with the city to landscape the Purple Heart Monument this year in Veteran’s Park. Our alliance with Platform Art has produced two sculptures for Veteran’s Park. A partnership with Spring Obsession and the Lakeland Downtown Development Authority allowed the purchase of the sculpture Feng Shui which was installed in Munn Park. The Friends of the Library of Lakeland, Inc. support and enhance library services. The group funds educational, cultural and literary programs for all ages as well as some capital needs for furnishings and equipment. Staff attends training sessions and professional conferences as a result of the Friends’ fundraising efforts. Volunteers are extremely important to the Parks and Recreation Department. A total of 36,479 volunteer hours, the equivalent of 17.54 full time employees, were donated from various organizations and individuals.

CHALLENGES County and state grant match funding partnerships have declined or remain unfunded. Funding shortfall for new county parks to service residents outside of the city limits burdens city parks. Joint use facilities experience coordination issues to accommodate adequate parking and compatible events.


WWII Memorial AT VETERANS PARK - DEDICATED DECEMBER 2014


GOALS, OBJECTIVES CHALLENGES & SUCCESSES Objective 3:

Continue to provide incentives to encourage the provision of recreation facilities in proposed future developments.

SUCCESSES

Land acquisition to develop a south west community park, recreation and south side branch library identified as a need in the 2005 Parks, Recreation & Trails Master Plan. Funds have been budgeted for land acquisition of approximately 100 acres in FY15 & FY16. Development funds have been identified in FY21.

CHALLENGES

Land acquisition for libraries, parks and recreational facilities competes with private development driving land costs up. Developers maximize land use for development open space is secondary and usually of marginal value to support recreational amenities.

Objective 4:

Improve bicycle and pedestrian access to designated recreation facilities through the ongoing implementation of the Lake-to-Lake Greenway Connector.

SUCCESSES

Lake Beulah Trail was completed to connect the surrounding neighborhood to Veteran’s Park and Lake Beulah shoreline. 3 Parks Trail has been extended through Cleveland Heights Golf Club to expand the trail system by 3.7 miles which is open to the public. The trail expands golf course exposure and opens the views and vistas of the course to the general public free of charge. The trail connects Peterson Park, Woodlake Park and Edgewood Park.

CHALLENGES

Obtaining adequate right of way to connect parks is difficult in the developed urban core.


3 Parks Trail CONNECTS PETERSON, WOODLAKE AND EDGEWOOD PARKS - OPENED DECEMBER 2015


GOALS, OBJECTIVES CHALLENGES & SUCCESSES Objective 5:

Through an ongoing assessment and improvement program, identify and improve parks, open space and other recreation assets which, due to age or general deterioration, have declined.

SUCCESSES

The Parks & Recreation Impact Fee Study was updated in FY15. Park & Recreation Impact Fees have been revised for residential development (fees are only collected for residential development). Previous impact fee studies did not include libraries in the inventory or calculation for development use. The 2015 study added the library inventory to the parks and recreation inventory creating an additional funding source for library expansion. The fees were adopted for residential development: single family $3,299, multi-family $2484, mobile home $1537 and congregate care facility $1537. The 2005 Parks, Recreation & Trails Master Plan is to be updated in FY15/16. LittleJohn Engineering has been selected to consult on the update. The Public Improvement Fund provides the capital dollars for renovation and replacement of existing city facilities and amenities. Playground replacement, facility upkeep, aquatic repairs, park amenities improvement or replacement are prioritized annually. Lakeland Parks and Recreation is committed to achieving CAPRA (Commission for Accreditation of Park and Recreation Agencies) accreditation. The organization is actively engaged is the self- assessment phase under the 2014 Standards.

CHALLENGES Operational budget is insufficient to maintain facility infrastructure to accommodate renovation and upkeep.

Objective 6:

Utilize public investments in right of way beautification, street trees, parks and open spaces to influence existing land use and implement the future land use element of the comprehensive plan.

SUCCESSES

1933 Trees, 1702 shrubs and 32,214 annuals were planted. 87 educational horticultural lectures, demonstrations and tours were conducted for the public. 222 special event programs were held in downtown parks.

CHALLENGES Increasing population of homeless: Homeless use of parks and libraries is a perception and management issue. Property destruction and vandalism by homeless is operationally consuming and budget breaking.


Glendale

BEAUTIFICATION PLANTING WITH GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY STUDENTS


An Exceptional Quality of Life 228 South Massachusetts Ave Lakeland, FL 33801

www.lakelandgov.net


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