Item 6A_Info Item Parks and Recreation Master Plan Update
C I T Y O F B O U L D E R
PLANNING BOARD INFORMATION ITEM
TO: Planning Board
FROM: Chris Meschuk, Interim City Manager
Ali Rhodes, Director of Parks and Recreation
Jacob Lindsey, Director of Planning
Charles Ferro, Development Review Manager, Interim Comprehensive Planning
Manager Jeff Haley, Planning, Design & Community Engagement Manager
Regina Elsner, Parks Planner
Tina Briggs, Parks Planner
Morgan Gardner, Associate Planner
Chris Ranglos, Planner I, Comprehensive Planning
DATE: December 17, 2020
SUBJECT: Parks and Recreation Master Plan Update
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The purpose of this item to update the Planning Board on the development of the Parks and Recreation
Master Plan Update. This includes information on the proposed focus topics, process, and overall
approach for the Master Plan Update. This item is for informational purposes only and does not require
Planning Board action at this time.
PROJECT BACKGROUND
The BPR Master Plan fits into the hierarchy of plans
cascading from the Community Sustainability and
Resilience Framework. The Master Plan receives
policy guidance from the Boulder Valley
Comprehensive Plan and derives other policy
influences from city-wide strategies and initiatives,
such as climate initiatives and racial equity work. The
Master Plan then directly guides the department’s CIP
and operating budgets. The Master Plan also
influences the department’s decision making and day-
to-day operations.
Since the adoption of the current 2014 Master Plan,
the Boulder Parks and Recreation has focused on six
identified key themes and priorities to improve facilities
and delivery of services to the community. In the last five years, important community initiatives and
priorities have emerged, and new trends have developed that will be addressed in the Master Plan
Update. Similarly, in implementing the 2014 Master Plan, certain goals were accomplished, while others
became business as usual and are now part of Boulder Parks and Recreation’s (BPR) ongoing
PARKS & RECREATION
MASTER PLAN
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operations. Staff plan to focus on the new priorities, initiatives and trends in the community while
continuing the work still relevant within the 2014 Master Plan. The Master Plan Update will provide the
department a strategic guide for continued improvements in the programs, facilities and services
provided to the community.
A critical component of the Master Plan Update is public engagement. COVID-19, the current pandemic,
has heavily influenced the engagement plan to include a much higher level of online engagement than
would traditionally be planned. We are Parks and Recreation and being out in the community is part of
our heart and soul, however, the safety of our community members and staff is the highest priority. Even
with those limitations, the project team is committed to engaging with a broad, diverse cross-section of
the community to ensure all the needs and priorities related to Parks and Recreation are heard and
evaluated.
Following a delay due to COVID-19 response and recovery, the Master Plan Update kicked-off in
September/October 2020. A Council Information Packet in August 2020 provided a brief overview of the
project process and approach.
The Parks and Recreation Advisory Board (PRAB) has been engaged several times for the Master Plan
Update, including providing input on the overall approach, as well as understanding impacts to the
project’s timing and budget due to COVID-19. Most recently, at the November 23, 2020, PRAB meeting,
staff provided a progress report on the project, and requested feedback from PRAB on the public
engagement plan, as well as the review of the 2014 white papers and new topics for consideration. A
City Council Study Session on December 8, 2020, focused on the overall approach for the project and
engagement, as well as gathering input on the existing key themes and incorporation of new topics. At
that session, council members confirmed their support of the project process and approach. There was
also confirmation that the additional focus on equity and resilience are appropriate.
PROJECT TIMELINE
PROCESS AND ENGAGEMENT
The Master Plan Update is broken into five phases: Project Initiation & Kick-off, Research and Trends,
Needs Assessment, Implementation Plan, and Master Plan Acceptance. The project team will utilize an
integrated input model that weaves technical content and community engagement throughout the
process.
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Project Initiation & Kick-off is largely complete with internal scoping and coordination, as well as the
execution of a contract for consulting services from Design Workshop. The full community engagement
plan developed as part of this phase is available as Attachment A of PRAB’s November 23, 2020
packet.
The Research and Trends phase is currently underway. This phase focuses on updating topical white
papers and developing a system overview snapshot that forms the foundation for future discussions in
the process. The first engagement window occurs during Research and Trends and is intended to build
awareness of and interest in the project, as well as evaluating community values and the key themes
established as part of the 2014 Master Plan. In addition to standard outreach methods, such as print
materials, social media posts and webpage updates, the project team will focus on unique and creative
ways to engage the community. One idea is to have a mask design contest focused on what you love
about Boulder Parks and Recreation. Within the engagement window, the project team will work to co-
create specific engagement opportunities with various under-represented groups, specifically working
with youth through Growing Up Boulder and the Youth Opportunities Advisory Board and minority
populations by bringing Community Connectors into the process with staff.
During Needs Assessment, the project team will focus on identifying needs for the department through
in-depth analysis of facilities, programs and service delivery. Financial scenario planning will begin that
will facilitate future discussions around prioritizing needs and strategies. This scenario planning will
utilize the city’s framework for budgeting that includes Fiscally Constrained, Action and Vision scenarios.
The second engagement window during this phase will include a statistically valid community survey to
ensure a representative sample of the entire community, including non-users is consulted during the
process. Virtual stakeholder meetings and open house-type event will focus on fully identifying the
needs of the community and micro-engagements will meet people where they are to gather their input.
The Implementation Plan phase of the project will focus on prioritizing the needs and strategies
previously identified, recognizing resource and capacity limitations. These discussions of community
priorities will occur through multiple lenses, including financial sustainability and equity, among others.
The Fiscally Constrained budget scenario will focus on how resources are allocated to key services and
priorities to provide the most value to the community with current funding. The third engagement window
during this phase will have two foci. First, creating activities that maximize the reach and breadth of the
community engagement. This maximization ensures that the second focus, discussion of community
priorities, is truly representative of the community.
The Master Plan Acceptance phase is the culmination of all the previous technical content and
community engagement into a draft Master Plan. The fourth and final engagement window will allow the
community to review and provide their input on the draft plan. Staff also intends to close the
engagement feedback loop during this window with a report that summarizes all the feedback received
and how it influenced the plan itself. This phase includes all the formal steps required for the plan to be
accepted by City Council and includes review and recommendation from the Parks and Recreation
Advisory Board (PRAB), review and recommendation from the Planning Board, and public hearing and
adoption by City Council. Celebration activities will both wrap up the Master Plan Update and kick-off
the implementation of the plan’s recommendations.
KEY THEMES FROM 2014 UPDATE
The six key themes have formed the strategic framework and foundation for the department’s work over
the past six years. The current evaluation of the key themes includes several information inputs:
Findings, Public and Policy Directive. The Public input will come during Engagement Window #1,
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requesting the community to provide feedback on how the themes have worked in the prior six years
and any opportunities for refinement.
The key themes form the basis for the actions and decision-making of the department since the plan’s
acceptance. These key themes from the 2014 Master Plan are:
Community Health and Wellness
Parks provide measurable health benefits, from encouraging direct contact with nature and a cleaner
environment, to opportunities for physical activity and social interaction. This theme emphasizes the
community’s desire for BPR to focus on public health and wellness through parks, facilities and
programs, emphasizing the important role parks and recreation services can continue to play in keeping
Boulder a healthy and vibrant community.
Taking Care of What We Have
Prioritizing the maintenance of existing facilities and parks was a consistent message during the 2014
Master Plan from the public and civic leaders. This theme focuses on the need to ensure the long-term
viability of the park and recreation system through comprehensive asset management practices. This
captures a broad spectrum of work ranging from daily operations to ongoing preventative maintenance
to the large capital projects that are completed each year as part of the Capital Improvement Program.
Financial Sustainability
Balancing multiple and increasing demands from the public within existing resources is a challenge,
recognizing the limits to public funding and the need to focus on core services. Boulder parks are a
source of positive economic benefits, enhancing property values, increasing municipal revenue and
attracting homebuyers, a quality workforce, and retirees. Financial Sustainability efforts ensure BPR
considers the total cost of facility ownership and service delivery in resource allocation and fee setting.
Building Community and Relationships
Building community engagement and cultural activities through outreach programs and initiatives are an
important component of building strong neighborhoods and making social connections. Parks and
recreation programs build social capital, promote a healthy community and address social and cultural
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inequities recognizing that environmental, economic and social sustainability are built upon full
community involvement.
Youth Engagement and Activity
Youth are a priority for the community and there is a strong need to actively engage youth with parks,
facilities and programs that are place-based. Parks offer children the daily benefits of direct experience
with nature, engage children in experiential learning through play and shared experiences, and provide
a resource for closing the opportunity gap to drive children’s participation in community development,
citizenship and democratic processes.
Organizational Readiness
Shifts in the management of modern public park and recreational facilities require new staff capabilities
with an emphasis on service delivery methods. As a department, it is critical to create more business
management practices leveraging the use of new technologies, data driven decision-making and
collaborative decision-making tools to allow for a response to changes over time.
NEW TOPICS TO HIGHLIGHT AND WHAT’S NEXT FOR BPR
Throughout the planning and initiation phase of the project, the project team asked for staff and PRAB
input on new topics and trends that may need to be explored as part of the current update process.
From that exercise, two key focus areas were identified for additional exploration: Resilience and Equity.
Weaving Equity into Urban Parks and Recreation Service Delivery
The master plan update for the Boulder Parks and Recreation (BPR) Department coincides with an
inflection point for its industry and for the nation and communities in the wake recent incidents that
highlight systematic discrimination, racial profiling and historic barriers to equity for people of color:
• The murders of Ahmaud Arbery, George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and other people of color;
• The March 1, 2019 Zayd Atkinson incident in Boulder, CO;
• The 2017 Boulder Community Perceptions Assessment and 2019 Boulder Community
Survey results showing a lower level of confidence by people of color in equitable police and
emergency services; and
• National findings that racial and ethnic minority groups are being disproportionally impacted
by the COVID-19 disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus (Centers for Disease Control
2020).
Equity work in parks and recreation is complex and each city must define the process and outcomes
that are meaningful to their communities. Racial equity is already influencing the work of the Master
Plan update. Staff acknowledges that not only is addressing equity an outcome of the Master Plan,
meaning how will a focus on equity influence the department’s work and decision-making for the next
five to seven years, but that the process of updating the plan itself must be equitable. To ensure an
equitable process, staff is working through the Racial Equity Instrument developed by the city. Equity
considerations also weigh heavily on the discussions of the public engagement for this project. Staff is
working to ensure that engagement tactics are culturally relevant and that efforts are being made to
hear from all segments of the community.
Equity as an outcome of the Master Plan Update will require multiple conversations with staff, PRAB,
City Council and the community to ensure BPR is getting it right.
Resilience for Parks and Recreation Departments
Resilience is the capacity to prepare and plan for disruptions, to recover from shocks and stresses, and
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to adapt and grow from those experiences. Resilience is becoming an increasingly important issue as
climate change and weather events continue to worsen. Parks and public spaces should be prepared
for these extreme events and their long-term impacts. By creating resilient places there can be other
economic and social benefits as well.
Parks play a huge role in building climate resilience, and therefore parks and recreation departments
are on the front lines of climate change. To mitigate the impacts of climate change, resilient parks
integrate approaches like living shorelines, wetland habitats, greenways, and adaptive recreational
amenities. When these places are developed it is also necessary to address the need to increase the
park departments’ capacity and budget accordingly to properly maintain and care for these spaces over
the long term. While money seems to flow freely for capital improvements, funding for maintenance and
operations is often less tangible and less appealing. Therefore, in order for parks and recreation
departments to act and prioritize climate resilience as part of their mission largely depends on the
availability of resources; creative funding approaches to maintenance, operations, and programming;
and the willingness of leaders to prioritize and include parks in resilience conversations (NRPA
Magazine, 2019, What Constitutes a Resilient Park).
Not only environmentally resilient, parks can also address social resilience by creating neighborhood
gathering places and opportunities for diverse community members to interact, prior to and after a
disaster. Community resilience considers environmental resiliency and cultural resiliency. Cultural
resilience can also be wrapped into physical space, especially parks by achieving these four goals (Kofi
Boone):
1. Build a sense of community that brings all people together as stewards
2. Create places where everyone belongs and that have opportunities for shared experiences
among all
3. Increase access to nature and create environmentally friendly places easily reached by
walking, biking or transit
4. Encourage additional investments in neighborhoods
NEXT STEPS
The project team will finalize the review and the update of the identified white paper topics. Shortly after
the start of 2021, a draft System Overview Snapshot that summarizes those findings will be available for
the public as part of Engagement Window #1. The System Overview Snapshot provides a foundation of
understanding and shared learning, from which future discussions for the Master Plan Update can build.
During Engagement Window #1, the community will be invited into the process to evaluate the key
themes and focus areas.
Following the conclusion of Engagement Window #1, the Needs Assessment phase will get underway.
The Needs Assessment phase will take a holistic view of the facilities, assets, programs and services of
the department. Successful identification of these needs will inform the strategies and initiatives the
department should pursue over the next five to seven years.
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact:
Chris Ranglos, Planner I, Comprehensive Planning
ranglosc@bouldercolorado.gov
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