1. Pascagoula, Mississippi 2012 Comprehensive Parks and Recreation Master Plan Overview of the Master Planning Process

2. Why do you need a Comprehensive Master Plan?

3. Why Are Master Plans Important? QUOTES FROM RECREATION DEPARTMENT DIRECTORS: “It allows you to put elected officials, staff and citizens on the same page relating to future development priorities and service delivery.” …Mike Rollins, Director, Statesboro-Bulloch County, Georgia, Parks and Recreation Department (1990, 2000, 2009) “Going through the CMP process has allowed us to give the County Commission an insight into the needs of the department and has brought about a team effort that includes the government and the citizens it serves.” …Doug Hood, Director, Williamson County Parks and Recreation Department, Franklin, Tennessee (1993, 2003) “Updating the plan on a regular basis allows for continuous improvement in efficiency, and brings trends and best practices from other communities to your agency for consideration. “Everyone needs an editor” and the master planning process provides that to us in a thoughtful yet comprehensive way.” Jerry Hancock, Director, Lexington Fayette Urban County Parks and Recreation Department, Lexington, Kentucky (1996, 2006)

4. Master planning allows a community to assess where you are now, where you want to go and how you’re going to get there. It provides an independent assessment of an organization that can provide the impetus to create a new direction for the department.

5. FUNDING LEVELS Do you feel your department is adequately funded? Do you have the documentation to show your funding levels in comparison to other accredited agencies? While your intuition on funding levels may be correct, elected officials want hard numbers to base their vote on! Are your funding levels being impacted by external changes in your community

6. FACILITY NUMBERS AND TYPES How do your facility numbers compare to national standards, your local community standards and benchmark communities? Have you kept pace with renovation and new facility needs? Are growth or other factors within your service area impacting the number and type of facilities you provide?

7. PROGRAM DIVERSITY Are your programs reaching all socio-economic and ethnic groups within the community? How are you meeting the “Active Seniors” group in your community? Have you kept up with the greenway and bicycle trend? What programs are you offering to promote healthy lifestyles for your community?

8. You need to document “Why We Need Facilities” The “Build It and People Will Come” justification without hard facts will get very little support at City Council.

9. FACILITY CONDITION Are your facilities safe? Do your facilities meet current ADA access requirements? Do your facilities meet current recreation programming needs? (e.g. fields constructed for baseball are now used for fast pitch girls’ softball, or your 30-year-old community center is limiting programming opportunities.) Are your facilities aging and causing increased maintenance cost?

10. STAFFING LEVELS Are your staffing levels growing at the same rate as your department responsibilities? …as your community? Is your department make-up reflective of your community population? Is the size of your staff limiting program diversity? Are you able to meet staffing needs for all positions—full-time, part-time, full/part-time, contract positions?

11. CURRENT AND HISTORIC CAPITAL BUDGETS Is your capital development budget: Non-existent? Steady but not keeping up with the needs of the department? Very cyclic? Great! Can always count on elected officials to fund department’s need?

12. COMMUNITY PROFILE Is your community experiencing rapid or steady population growth? Is there a change in your demographic make-up? (senior population, large number of young families with small children, etc.) Has your community been through a hurricane recently creating increased capital needs.

13. WHERE DO YOU WANT TO GO?

14. FUNDING LEVELS Need to determine the sustainable funding level for your community. Need to determine preventive maintenance capital needs. Need to determine operations funding levels to manage existing and proposed facilities and programs. Need to develop funding options to meet desired level of service.

15. FACILITY NUMBERS AND TYPE Develop a list of all facility renovations, expansions and new facilities. Develop a list of facilities to be closed or that require a change in programming. Determine service area gaps. Determine land acquisition needs to reduce service area gaps. Prioritize new facilities.

17. PROGRAM DIVERSITY Begin new programs at existing facilities. Generate list of new programs tied to proposed facilities. Determine staffing and financial impacts from new programs. Prioritize new programs.

18. STAFFING LEVELS Develop new organization chart to reflect staff additions and, if necessary, re-organization. Determine cost of new staff. Determine sequence for hiring new staff. Determine how to balance staff size and work hour expectations.

19. City of Dunwoody: Organization Chart

20. PROPOSED FUNDING PROGRAM Develop total cost for 10-year implementation period. Explore dedicated funding options. Explore partnership opportunities. Explore methods to increase self-generated revenues. Maximize current funding

21. What does a modern recreation department look like?

22. WELLNESS AND RECREATION CENTERS

23. AQUATICS AND RECREATION CENTERS

24. AQUATICS

25. SPRAY PARKS

26. C OMMUNITY P ARKS

29. NEIGHBORHOOD PARKS

30. DOG PARKS

31. SPORTS COMPLEXES

33. TRACK AND FIELD

34. MIRACLE FIELDS

35. ACCESSIBLE PLAYGROUNDS

36. RENTAL PAVILIONS

38. SKATE PARKS

39. NATURE PRESERVES

40. GREENWAYS