The Owensboro Parks & Recreation Department is hoping to create a master plan, using public input to create a prioritized vision for what the citizens want and need from the city’s park system.
The previous master plan, which included the creation of Smother Park, ended in 2015. City Parks Director Amanda Rogers said Tuesday during a Parks & Rec Advisory Board that she intends to use the next year to put together a new plan.
“We need to basically create a guide for how we invest our time and our funds, based around public input and trends and national standards. It’s a compilation of those three things,” she said.
She said the primary voices to listen to are the current taxpayers, so the department needs feedback on what they want, what they would use, and what they would need.
“You basically take all that information and roll it together in what’s kind of a playbook for the next 10 years of operations,” Rogers said.
With the last master plan, the Parks Department was able to compile prioritized Top 25 “wish lists” for both programs and amenities desired.
Rogers said that list helps the department understand how people prioritize bigger elements by ranking the importance of things such as programming, green space, sports facilities, and passive use facilities like walking trails and shelters.
When someone comes to the department with an idea, Rogers said she references the list to see where it falls on the priorities based on public input.
“We want the citizens to feel like they have a voice and want them to feel like we are their department, and we’re here to service them,” she said. “So I really believe in the value of a document like this, because it gives everybody a chance to speak up.”
Rodgers hopes to have everything prepared by the end of the year, then follow this timeline in 2022:
- January to February — Online Survey
- March to Mid-May — Four to six focus group meetings
- Late May — Key community leader interviews
- August to September — Public meetings hosted throughout the community
- October — Staff interviews (city and county parks)
- November to December — Compilation of results, report preparation
OTHER BUSINESS
A court at Moreland Park may soon be named after Robert “Bob” Smith, who was a big part of the tennis community for more than 50 years prior to his death in 2020. Smith was a longtime tennis pro at Owensboro Country Club.
The City parks board, noting Smith’s impact both on the courts and in the community at large, approved dedicating one of the courts after a request was made by Smith’s daughter Debbie Hill.
Altaf Merchant, in his role as president of the Owensboro-Daviess County Tennis Association at the time, said the ODCTA board unanimously had already approved the idea.
Rogers said there are a few more steps that must be taken but if everything works out and is approved, signage could be up and an unveiling could take place within a couple of months.
Rogers noted the work that has been done by the Northwest Neighborhood Alliance. At Kendall-Perkins Park, they facilitated the installation of new acrylic backwards and breakaway rims. The Alliance is also continuing to work on ideas for the mural on the wall at that park. Another project the Alliance worked on is a community garden at Max Rhodes Park.
The department is having trouble hiring workers. For the last two to three months, they’ve only received 15 applications. Of those, 6 people declined an interview. Of the 9 who scheduled an interview, 4 did not show and 2 declined the job, while 3 were hired. Rogers said they are still looking to hire because they are in need of facility staff for the winter, and they will “definitely” be in need again when spring rolls around.
The majority of work at Jack C. Fisher Park is complete. The only thing being worked on currently is the maintenance building, which is about 4.5 months behind schedule.
Another project recently finished is the Ben Hawes Golf Course maintenance building, which Rogers said she thinks has been there I think 54 years. She said it was constantly sinking in the ground.
