Hutchinson officials heard a brief review of the hundreds of pages of data and survey information collected by Colorado-based Greenplay last fall to help the city shape its parks and recreation master plan.
Even in its condensed form, Tuesday’s presentation at city hall still took 90 minutes.
Greenplay Founder and CEO Dr. Teresa Penbrooke told the 15 or so city and elected officials the plan was to show them a chunk of the findings before whittling it down even more for a tentative April 23 public meeting.
Greenplay will have a parks and recreation master plan for the city to adopt by May.
Penbrooke said final recommendations would include possible uses for the mostly shuttered Memorial Hall and adequately maintaining current facilities. “We found low support for increased property or sales taxes,” Penbrooke said, adding she’s found communities where, despite what city officials believe, residents are willing to pay more for the parks and activities around them.
She said the final report would include collaborative opportunities and other funding streams to finance future projects.
(Read more: Local – The Hutchinson News)