Better Parks, Better Living Meeting Draft Strategic Plan

100 Pages·2014·2.81 MB·English

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Imagine Your Parks
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Prepared for the Recreation and Park Commission for the Parish of East Baton Rouge
by Wallace Roberts & Todd
with PROS Consulting and Franklin Associates
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Table of Contents
Introduction 1 Natural Resources 59
BREC’s Commitment to Natural Resources 59
Imagine Your Parks2 1
Benefts of Natural Resources 59
Mission and Vision 1
Aquatic Resources 60
Values 2
Terrestrial Habitats 62
Research and Outreach 64
Trends and Needs 5 Stewardship 64
Demographic and Economic Trends 7 Action Plan 65
National Trends 7 Trails 71
Louisiana Trends 7 Capital Area Pathways Project 71
Metropolitan Area Trends 8 Action Plan 72
East Baton Rouge Parish 9 Marketing and Communication 77
The Baton Rouge Area Economy 13 Action Plan 77
Recreation Trends 17
National Trends 17 Partnerships 81
Local Sport and Market Potential 20 Public Expectations and Support 81
Example BREC Partnerships 81
Citizen and Stakeholder Input 23 Partnership Opportunities 82
Methods of Outreach 23
Action Plan 82
Common Themes 24
Maintenance and Operations 87
Internal Values 87
Strategic Directions 27
Fiscal Responsibility 29
BREC’s Funding 29 Action Plan 89
System Eficiencies 29
Cost Recovery 30 Appendices 91
Program Pricing 30 Community Park Demographics
Action Plan 31 & Expenditures
Programs 35 Park Assessments
Breadth of Programs 35 Recreation Facility Assessments
Core Programs 35 Fees and Charges Analysis
BREC’s Core Programs 36 Cultural and Historic Resource Acquisition
Program Life Cycles 42 Evaluation Framework
Action Plan 42
Parks and Facilities 47
A Robust System 47
Capital Improvement Program 47
BREC’s Parks 48
Historic and Cultural Resources 50
Action Plan 54
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1
Introduction
East Baton Rouge Parish has a well-established identity as the seat
of Louisiana state government and a mecca for college sports. In
addition, the Parish is increasingly becoming known as a center for
higher education, health research, and industry.
Among the considerations that make the Parish attractive to
employers, employees, students, and residents is its locally-valued
and nationally recognized park and recreation system managed by
the Recreation and Park Commission for the Parish of East Baton
Rouge (BREC).
With 12 community parks built in the last decade as an outgrowth of
its 2004 Imagine Your Parks strategic plan, BREC has transformed
the park and recreation experience in the Parish. Now, BREC is
updating its vision for parks and recreation and setting strategic
directions for the coming decade.
BREC’s mission is
to contribute to Imagine Your Parks2
a healthier, more Imagine Your Parks2 is a vision and action plan for parks and recreation in East Baton Rouge
Parish that builds on the successes of BREC’s original Imagine Your Parks plan. It takes into
vibrant community account changes in the park system over the past decade, recent trends in recreation, changes
by providing iens tPaabrlish edse BmRoEgCr’as pdhirieccs taionnd f oerc othneo nmeyx,t adnedc aidnpe uatn fdr olamy st hoeu tc oanm amcutinointy p. lIamna fgoirn gee tYtoinugr tPhaereks. 2
exceptional parks,
open space,
and recreation Mission and Vision
experiences for all Over the past decade, BREC’s stated mission was to provide parks and recreation opportunities
for all the residents of East Baton Rouge Parish. While this mission statement is accurate, it
of East Baton Rouge became clear during the Imagine Your Parks2 process that it falls short of fully conveying BREC’s
mission by not making explicit the agency’s commitment to providing high quality recreational
Parish. opportunities and to improving the quality of life in the Parish. Thus, Imagine Your Parks
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updates BREC’s mission statement and articulates a long-term vision for the park system. BREC’s
mission is to contribute to a healthier, more vibrant community by providing exceptional
parks, open space, and recreation experiences for all of East Baton Rouge Parish.
BREC’s vision is to provide an extraordinary system of parks, open spaces, and facilities that
engages the Parish’s unique natural and cultural landscape to enrich Parish life by providing
diverse and memorable recreation experiences.
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2 BREC Imagine Your Parks2
Values
BREC’s values refect the community’s expectations and defne the way in which it works to fulfll
its mission and turn its vision into reality. BREC strives to integrate the following values into all
it does:
• excellence: striving to provide high quality, state-of-the-art experiences
• service: attending to patrons’ needs in a courteous, timely fashion
• engagement: regularly seeking feedback and direction from the community
• equity: delivering comparable experiences across the Parish
• integrity: being honest, fair, and objective
• professionalism: employing skill, good judgment, and politeness
• collaboration: working with community partners to achieve mutual goals
• fscal responsibility: using taxpayer dollars as eficiently as possible
• safety: ensuring that park, program, and facility users feel free from harm
• sustainability: serving as responsible stewards of the environment
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Exploring the great outdoors.
Greenwood Adventure Camp
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