Growing & Developing
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GROWING WITH YOUR COMMUNITY
How Parks Evolve Over Time
Park development is an ongoing process, and not just of maintenance and infrastructure upgrades or replacements. Your community needs change over time, whether it’s from demographic changes as your community grows, or conservation opportunities as the ecology in your region evolves.
Amenity & Conservation Changes
Changes in your conservation goals or park amenities should be guided by the park masterplan, but also by actions and goals of other community stakeholders and departments.
For example, the growth of a neighbourhood that borders a wetland region will require water management infrastructure. This could require a conservation plan that could include more natural trails to residents as well as provide more education about conservation and native species.
Stay in touch with your advising committee, and with local recreation or conservation organizations to help you get a sense of how your community might be changing.
Providing a place for individuals and associations to submit requests for new amenities or facilities can encourage engagement and a sense of ownership from your residents and those using your facilities.
A park planning committee could help you keep on top of requests for changes and recommendations for improvements. You should facilitate relationships with new organizations who are interested in using parks for their activities, but be mindful of how you manage these relationships in the long term.
User ResponsibilityChanges
An interested group can approach community administrators with an idea to use community property to develop a recreation facility or amenity. Perhaps an off leash park that the community can use for free.
The park administrators might agree that it’s a great idea, but who contributes to the project infrastructure? A well organized group might come up with some ideas for fundraising to pay for the fence and gates to surround the dog park, but who is responsible for installation? What role does the organization play in ensuring the park has the right signage, is well maintained, and manages the needs of the users?
There should be a clear understanding of how each party contributes to the project, now and into the future. User fees can help manage long term expenses for amenities, but leveraging user fees requires a certain amount of administration. Is there a rental fee to use a space, or does the park project have enough buy-in from residents that the community’s administration should play a role?
If you plan to approach a community parks department with a park project idea, ensuring you have a clear idea of the upfront capital costs, as well as the long term maintenance costs, and any infrastructure replacement costs can help you have a constructive conversation about the cost and benefits.
If you are approached by a group with a project plan, help that group understand the long term costs for any project. Be constructive but clear - in the end this will help your community groups get involved!
User Group Changes
Often a park amenity is by design used more by a certain group of people than by others. For example, a baseball diamond or basketball court won’t appeal to every user or age group, and the groups that do use them may want to limit other users at specific times. In the cases where organized groups use a facility or amenity, you will likely want to set up user rules to ensure fair access.
At the outset of a project, a user group may request an amenity or facility upgrade that will be paid for with user fees. An enthusiastic group of players at the outset does not guarantee the same enthusiasm as time passes.
Part of your planning process should include what happens should user fees for a facility drop: how will that affect maintenance or staffing needs?
Similarly if a user group provides volunteers to offset some management or maintenance costs. Can the amenity be repurposed easily should the user group shrink or change over time?
Developing a new facility, trail, or park amenity can make sense to the growth of the community over time, and some of the best ideas can come from your users. Help organizations navigate the process, but keep in mind how new projects could affect other users and staff. It’s a balancing act!
CHECKLIST ITEM
Organize a park planning committee to help manage requests and proposals as your community and resident needs change.
Battleford River Valley Pathway Gazebo, North Battleford