The City’s Parks and Recreation Department is working to make Owensboro the number one city in which to live, work, and play. Officials presented new action steps as part of the Parks Master Plan during Tuesday’s City Commission meeting.
Parks Director Amanda Rogers said the goal boils down to wanting to enrich the quality of life for Owensboro residents. Rogers said the plan details the groundwork to continue improving the park system and keeping it sustainable and resilient.
Teresa Jackson, senior consultant with the firm BerryDunn, said there are five primary focus areas ahead of the Parks Department that coincide with the City’s Strategic Initiatives:
- Memorable outdoor spaces and welcoming facilities
- Safety and accessibility enhancement
- Equitable recreation access
- Well-being initiatives
- Organizational effectiveness
The five areas led to 42 objectives for the next 10 years that they can work to accomplish.
The first initiative Jackson mentioned was the overall upkeep of the spaces and buildings the Parks Department oversees.
“[That] really aligns with that updated mission statement and developing and maintaining parks and recreational facilities with innovative features,” she said. “Like Smother’s Park for example. That’s a unique facility within your system that your residents talk about as well as visitors.”
Another major objective would be developing a trails master plan and an English Park master plan.
Jackson referenced that in October, when she last presented to the Commission, survey results showed that residents were looking for outdoor activities utilizing the trails and wanting to update English Park.
The master plan indicates the department will work with a planning committee and stakeholders to conduct a comprehensive assessment of existing trails and potential expansion areas. With English Park, they will focus on turning it into a “versatile community space” that integrates creative design and infrastructure enhancements.
Another objective for the department is to focus on collaborations with disability advocacy groups to ensure they are meeting the needs of all patrons with a range of abilities.
“This is a reminder for the department that formalizing some of those relationships can really help identify some low-hanging fruit in the system, different opportunities for programs, and program enhancements,” Jackson said.
The Parks Department has yet to make the presentation public on its website, but if you wish to view the 42 objectives, click here to see Rogers’ and Jackson’s presentation to the City Commission. Rogers begins the presentation at 1:22:45.
