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| The major components of the Parks, Recreation and Open Space Plan (PROS) include: - Evaluate the existing community PROS resources.
- Review Mission and Vision statements, various master plans, the budgets, facility long-range plans, existing programs and services. Recommend updates as appropriate.
- Using a scientific survey, informal surveys, focus groups and stakeholder meetings, determine the community's vision for updating our PROS resources (what needs to stay the same, what needs to change, be updated, etc.). Develop strategies and plans to realize these new visions.
- Develop a program for park and open space acquisition, including identification of desirable sites, strategies to assemble public park sites in redevelopment areas, and funding methods that are alternatives to taxpayer funding.
- Develop recommendations to meet present and future needs for PROS resources based on changing age and ethnic demographics, and changing development patterns as the City becomes more urban in character. This may involve redevelopment of some amenities within existing parks and facilities, adjustments to recreation programs, and changes to the way the City communicates with its residents.
In addition to the elements listed above, the following activities and work products shall be incorporated into the final report: - Public input from open houses, a city-wide survey (conducted in five languages), charrettes, committee meetings, stakeholder interviews and focus groups.
- Classification, inventory and assessment of City PROS resources.
- Determination of future needs for development and redevelopment of park uses and recreation services.
- Analysis of existing and planned county and school district PROS resources.
- Classification and inventory of private PROS resources within and nearby Rockville.
- Analysis of three (3) City watershed and SWM plans and analysis of effects on City parks.
- A review, summary and analysis of a minimum of ten (10) peer community PROS resources trends, facilities, programs and funding in the region and other parts of the U.S. Provide benchmarks for comparison of Rockville PROS.
- Report, analysis and options for PROS resources programming, maintenance and funding.
- Strategies, including funding, to achieve the City’s PROS goals.
- Review and recommended changes to existing performance measures that will assist with measuring the City’s success in achieving the City’s PROS strategies.
- Review of the department's organization chart and recommendations for possible reorganizations.
- Specific recommended site locations for PROS resource acquisitions and developments.
- Specific recommended site locations for PROS resource improvements and redevelopment.
- Specific program modifications.
- Priority ranking for all improvements.
- Recommendations for potential impact fees, developer contributions or funding resources for parkland acquisition.
- Goals for five (5), ten (10) and twenty (20) years, based on anticipated growth, development patterns, changing demographics, potential annexations and other important factors.
- Identification of neighborhoods or other City areas that are currently under-served by existing PROS resources and identify sites of appropriate size and character.
- Recommend standards for PROS resources on redevelopment projects.
| The City has hired the firm of Environmental Resource Management (ERM) to provide the professional services to prepare the Parks, Recreation and Open Space Plan. ERM is a full service planning and environmental consulting firm located in Annapolis, MD. ERM has extensive experience in all aspects of local government planning and has prepared planning studies for many municipalities in Maryland including Annapolis, College Park, Frederick, Prince George’s County, Montgomery County, and Howard County.
| If you have questions or would like additional information about the PROS Plan, please email Steve Mader, Superintendent of Parks and Facilities at smader@rockvillemd.gov or call 240-314-8702.
| The PROS Plan is expected to take approximately 12 months to complete. | | July 2007 | Kick-off Meetings | | December 2007 | Existing Conditions and Needs, Inventory and Assessment | | December 2007 | Best Practices, Benchmarking | October 2007-
March 2008 | Public Input and Involvement
Open Houses (Community Meetings)
Focus Group Meetings
Stakeholder Meetings
Telephone survey | | March 2008 | Determination of Future Needs for Parks and Recreation | | April 2008 | Strategies for Meeting Future Needs | | April 2008 | Preliminary Draft Plan | | June 2008 | Draft Plan | | August 2008 | Final Plan |
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