The City of Rochester Parks and Recreation Plan 2006 - 2010
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The City of Rochester Parks and Recreation Plan 2006 - 2010 Adopted by City Council - April 24, 2006 Table of Contents Introduction 1 Purpose 1 Process 1 Administrative Structure 2 Parks and Recreation Budget 2 Planning Process Step 1: What do we have? 5 Inventory 5 Local Recreational Facilities 5 Schools 8 Other Public Facilities 10 Private Facilities 10 Regional Facilities - Oakland County Parks 10 Regional Facilities - Huron-Clinton Metropolitan Authority Parks 13 Regional Facilities - State of Michigan Parks 14 Barrier Free Analysis and Transition Plan 17 Planning Process Step 2: What do we want? 23 Standards 23 Classification of City Parks 25 Deficiencies in City Parks System 26 Goals and Objectives 27 Planning Process Step 3: How do we get there? 31 Action Program and Basis for Action 31 Park Illustrations / Improvements 38 i Table of Contents TABLES Table 1: Capital Expenditures for Parks and Recreation Facilities, 2001-2005 4 Table 2: Parks and Recreation Budget, Fiscal Years 2002–2006 4 Table 3: Summary of Local Park and Recreation Facilities 20 Table 4: Recreation Space By Neighborhood - Existing Acreage, Neighborhood Needs, and Deficiencies 26 Table 5: Action Plan Summary 37 FIGURES Figure 1: Administrative Structure for Park and Recreation Services 3 Figure 2: Existing Park and Recreation Areas 21 Figure 3: Trailhead Parking and Wayfinding Sign Locations 38 Figure 4: Clinton River Corridor 39 Figure 5: Town Square 40 Figure 6: Dinosaur Hill Nature Preserve 42 Figure 7: Elizabeth Park 43 Figure 8: Halbach Field and Memorial Grove 44 Figure 9: Howlett Park 45 Figure 10: Municipal Park 46 Figure 11: Scott Street Park 47 Figure 12: Proposed Twin Rivers Park 48 APPENDICES A.1 Survey and Survey Results A-1 A.2 Plan Adoption A-8 A.3 Previous Grants Information_____________________________________A-23 ii City of Rochester’s Park and Recreation Plan 1 Introduction PURPOSE The city of Rochester Park and Recreation Plan is intended to guide future city park and recreation programs, services, operations and maintenance for the five year term of the Plan. In addition, the Plan is intended to form the basis for future application for recreation grant funding from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (MDNR) and other granting agencies and foundations. The Plan was prepared in accordance with the MDNR’s Guidelines for the Development of Community Park, Recreation and Open Space and Greenway Plans (1/27/06). PROCESS The process to prepare a Park and Recreation Plan for the city of Rochester followed a general five- step framework (below). The process involved individuals who represent a broad cross-section of the community's population. The primary responsibility for the recreation plan rests with the City Council. Council receives significant advice and assistance from the Parks Department and City Manager. Technical assistance is provided to the city by a community planning consultant with expertise in rec- reation planning. The Planning Process c WHAT DO WE HAVE? Research & Analysis IS THE PLAN WORKING? WHAT DO WE WANT? Plan Monitoring Needs Analysis, Survey, Goals c GETTING THERE HOW DO WE GET THERE? Implementation Action Plan 2 City of Rochester’s Park and Recreation Plan The process began in June 2005 with a detailed inventory of all city park sites by the planning con- sultant, including a barrier-free analysis of each facility. The inventory was compared to standards developed by the National Recreation and Park Association, in order to determine the deficiencies in Rochester’s system. In September 2005, an internet survey was posted on Rochester’s web site, Introduction and paper copies of the survey were available at City Hall, to gather public comments regarding is- sues such as average use of the facilities, wishes for future improvements, and the successes and challenges of the parks and recreation system. Utilizing the information obtained from the deficien- cies calculations, and public input, a set of Goals and Objectives were developed. These Goals and Objectives were then used as the basis for developing the items in the 5-year Action Plan. Working with the Park Superintendent, the planning consultant then developed illustrated concept plans for each park, addressing the goals, identifying deficiencies, and including citizen desires. The draft plan was then assembled and the total document was presented at a public hearing held by the City Council prior to formal adoption of the Plan. ADMINISTRATIVE STRUCTURE The city of Rochester’s parks and recreation facilities are operated and maintained under the direction of the Park Superintendent and the Department of Public Works. Staffing levels for the Parks and Recreation Department have remained consistent since the adoption of the previous Recreation Plan (1999-2003), with the city employing 3 full-time staff (park superintendent, 2 laborers) and 3 part-time staff. Due to recent State budget cutbacks for municipalities, and the stability of park and recreation resources in Rochester, it is not expected that these staffing lev- els will change very much in the foreseeable future. Figure 1 presents a flowchart of the admin- istrative structure for park and recreation services in the city of Rochester. PARKS AND RECREATION BUDGET Rochester’s current park and recreation budget expenditures are associated with the develop- ment and maintenance of the city’s recreation facilities, including Municipal Park, Halbach Field, Scott Street Park - Jaycee Field, Howlett Park, Elizabeth Park, and Memorial Grove. The city also maintains the Paint Creek Trailway, Downtown River Walk, Clinton River Trail, and the pathways at Dinosaur Hill Nature Preserve. The city owns the land occupied by the Commu- nity House, however, the property is managed by the Rochester Community House, Inc., a non- profit organization. The city of Rochester has budgeted general fund monies over the past several years for routine maintenance and operational expenses associated with its existing park facilities. Recreation programming for Rochester is not provided directly by the city, but instead is operated and maintained by the Rochester Area Recreation Authority (RARA). RARA is funded by taxes from the city of Rochester and the city of Rochester Hills. Oakland Township residents may also par- ticipate in the RARA programs for a fee. The parks and recreation budget has ranged from $455,880 to $533,660 during the fiscal years 2002-2003 through the current budget year (2005- 2006). Included in the budget were additional funds of $61,600 to $72,540 for RARA during this time period. City of Rochester’s Park and Recreation Plan 3 Introduction Figure 1: Administrative Structure for Park and Recreation Services Citizens Legislative City Council Administrative City Manager Assistant City Manager City Attorney Secretary Park Public Superintendent Works Cemetery Parks Seasonal Operations Maintenance Park Aides Cemetery Roads Sewer Water Equipment Maintenance Maintenance Maintenance 4 City of Rochester’s Park and Recreation Plan Capital improvement projects for the parks are budgeted out of the General Capital Improve- ment Budget. Table 1 indicates the capital funds allocated for parks and recreation facilities for the fiscal years 2001 to 2005. Table 2 details the city of Rochester’s recent budgets for parks Introduction and recreation. Table 1 : Capital Expenditures for Parks and Recreation Facilities, 2001-2005 Budget Year Project City MNRTF Total 2001 CRTrail Acquisition $565,250 $1,608,786 $2,174,036 2002 CRTrail Erosion Control Phase I $428,100 $0 $428,100 2003 N. Tot Lot Construction $193,861 $0 $193,861 2003 Tennis Court Re-hab $107,022 $41,078 $148,100 2004 CRTrail Surfacing $180,780 $175,000 $355,780 2004 Tot Lot Bench Shelter $19,335 $0 $19,335 2005 Paint Creek Pedestrian Bridge $124,400 $0 $124,400 2005 CRTrail Erosion Control Phase II $160,861 $0 $160,861 Table 2: Parks and Recreation Budget, Fiscal Years 2002–2006 BUDGET 2002-03 2003-04 2004-05 2005-06 Park Grounds Maint. Wages $121,500 $127,000 $130,500 $134,260 Park Wages - Part-Time $18,380 $19,110 $19,740 $20,370 Overtime $9,500 $9,500 $10,000 $10,000 Longevity $4,900 $4,900 $4,900 $4,960 FICA $12,100 $12,610 $12,980 $13,550 Hospitalization $40,500 $40,830 $43,260 $51,660 Hospitalization - Retiree $8,390 $14,570 $14,900 $15,670 Employee Life Insurance $2,110 $1,880 $1,550 $1,590 Retirement Contribution $9,600 $7,700 $7,850 $11,710 Dental/Optical $3,000 $3,000 $3,600 $3,600 Worker’s Comp. Insurance $3,200 $3,330 $3,430 $3,580 Unemp. Comp. Insurance $250 $250 $250 $250 Severance / Sick Pay $1,400 $1,460 $1,500 $1,570 Uniform Allowance $3,000 $3,000 $3,200 $3,150 Tools and Equipment $1,000 $1,500 $1,500 $1,500 Community House-Maint. $22,000 $22,000 $22,000 $23,800 Bldg Maint. - Materials $2,300 $2,300 $1,500 $2,500 Grounds Maint. - Materials $3,000 $4,000 $2,300 $4,000 Contractual Services $10,000 $12,000 $16,000 $16,000 Telephone 0 $1,800 $1,300 $1,300 Equipment Rental $65,000 $67,000 $72,000 $72,000 Light and Power $7,000 $12,000 $6,000 $6,000 Heat - Building $2,500 $4,000 $5,000 $6,000 Water and Sewer Charges $700 $850 $1,000 $1,000 Dues and Subscriptions $450 $450 $450 $450 Miscellaneous $500 $250 $250 $250 Site Improvement $4,000 $8,000 $5,000 $5,000 New Equipment $4,000 $4,000 $4,000 $4,000 City of Rochester’s Park and Recreation Plan 5 Plan Process Step 1: What do we have? INVENTORY The inventory of existing facilities is an essential step in the creation of a quality plan for recrea- tion. This section inventories and describes the existing local (public, private and school sites) and regional (state and county) recreational facilities which are available to Rochester residents.