Maury County PARKS & RECREATION MASTER PLAN November 21st, 2019 Randall Gross Development Economics Acknowledgments In developing the Maury County Parks & Recrea on Master Plan, the Ragan-Smith, Equinox, and Randall Gross Development Economics team worked closely with Maury County Offi cials and members of the Maury County Parks & Recrea on Advisory Commi ee. This plan could not have been possible without the me and eff orts put forth by the advisory commi ee and many stakeholders who contributed to shaping the vision of this plan. Project Team: Maury County: Steering Committee: Andy Ogles Andy Ogles County Mayor Maury County Mayor Al Ray Bill Marbet Parks & Recrea on Director Park Board Chairman Wayne Lindsey Chaz Molder Parks Supervisor Mayor of City of Columbia Courtney Roberts Chris Poynter Recrea on Specialist John Langsdon Randall Gross Kelly Clark Development Economics Secretary Kellye Murphy City of Columbia Tourism and Marke ng Director Michael Fulbright Sco Cepicky State Representa ve District 64 Erin Jaggers Maury County Visitors Bureau 2 Project Background Table of Contents Project Background Inventory & Existing Conditions Demand & Needs Assessment Master Plan Recommendations Acknowledgments Project Overview & Study Limits 6 Composite Demand & Service Analysis 22 Greenways Overview 36 Table of Contents Park Classifi ca on 7-8 NRPA Level of Service 23 Greenway Concept Plan 37-38 Introduc on & Guiding Principles 1 Park Connectors 9 State, National & Regional Recreation Trends 24-25 Greenway Priori za on & Partnerships 39 Importance of Parks & Recrea on 2 Park Users & Experiences 10 Regional Par cipa on Trends 26 Duck River Blueway Overview 40 Project Schedule 3 Exis ng Park System Overview / Organiza on 11 Public Input - Online Survey 27-32 Blueway Portage 41 Planning Approach 4 Inventory of Exis ng Athle c Facili es 12 Public Input - Future Park Ac vi es 33 Recommendations for the Duck River Blueway 42 Planning Approach Chart 5 Exis ng Facili es - Chickasaw Trace Park 13 Opportuni es & Constraints 34 Columbia - Yanahli Greenway / Blueway Loop 43 Exis ng Facili es - Hampshire Park 14 Opportuni es & Constraints Priority Results 35 Greenway / Blueway Proposed Master Plan Map 44 Exis ng Facili es - Jerry Erwin Park 15 Regional Ag Expo Center 45 Exis ng Facili es - Maury County Park 16 12 Big Recommenda ons Summary 46 Exis ng Facili es - Williams Spring Park 17 Exis ng Facili es - Yanahli Park 18 Yanahli Master Plan 19 Implementation & Policy Park Experiences & Recrea onal Matrix 20 Recommendations Impact from Columbia, Spring Hill, & Mt. Pleasant 21 Parks & Recrea on Budget Analysis 47-49 Park Funding Challenges & Strategies 50-53 Tourism & Economic Development Opportunities 54 Funding Strategies Summary & Action Plan 55-58 Summary - Implementa on Tools 59 Project Background 3 Introduction & Guiding Principles Introduction: The exis ng park facili es in Maury County are of a high quality and the county’s recrea onal programs serve a wide range of residents and visitors alike. In keeping with the Na onal Recrea on and Park Associa on (NRPA) three pillars of Conserva on, Health and Wellness and Social Equity, Maury County has developed a master plan that will con nue to protect green space and environmental assets and to provide opportuni es for healthy and fun ac vi es for all its residents. This master plan provides a vision and road map to maintain and enhance exis ng facili es and programs while an cipa ng the future needs of a county that is expected to see tremendous growth over the next 20 years. Well- func oning parks, open space and greenways will be instrumental in maintaining the County’s health and economic vitality. Project Vision Statement: To provide a full range of recreational opportunities that connect people to the rich cultural, environmental and athletic facilities and programs in Maury County as well as to make lifelong play and learning opportunities available for all its residents. Maury County Parks & Recreation Mission Statement: Maury County Parks and Recreation (MCPR) strives to provide recreational and educational opportunities, services and programs to expand our community involvement, create a higher standard of living and to enrich and enhance the lives of our citizens. Conservation: Maury County parks encompass over 1,000 acres and the county is connected to vast areas of state managed recreational property that included more than 14,000 acres. The Duck River corridor runs through the heart of the county and serves as a beautiful and ecologically diverse asset. The Maury County Parks and Recreation plan has estimated a guiding principle that includes partnerships with local and state agencies to leverage and connect to recreational and environmental educational experiences beyond the formal county park boundaries. Health & Wellness: According to the National Census and Health records the State of Tennessee and Maury County residents are at relatively high risk for diabetes, heart disease and obesity. The parks and recreation master plan has suggested an important guiding principle that includes active outdoor recreation and the need for more connections, such as greenways, blueways and multi-modal routes to promote walking, hiking, biking, and connections between park's and neighborhoods that surround them. Social Equity: The Maury County Parks & Recreation plan includes a guiding principle to provide recreation programs for residents and visitors of all ages and all social, economic, racial, and ethnic backgrounds and to make facilities and programs inclusive in nature. 1 Project Background Importance of Parks & Recreation Parks, recrea on and cultural resources touch every aspect our quality of life. Planning for future capitol improvements and opera ng and maintenance budgets is very important in shaping out the vision for Maury County. Parks and Recreation Equates to Quality of Life: NRPA Park Value Calculator: Responding to the pubic on-line survey; 91% of Maury County residents said that Parks and A general calculator used by the Na onal Recrea on and Parks Associa on puts the following Recrea on are important to very important. This puts emphasis on how much our park values to parks and environmental resources: and recrea onal programs connect with maintaining a high quality of life for Maury County residents. Air Quality Benefi ts: $0.54 per tree per year equa ng to $143.88 per acre of trees per year Water Quality Benefi ts: $156.12 per tree per year equa ng to $790.63 per acre of trees per Valued Amenity to Attract Young Professionals: year According to the Urban Land Ins tute; 68% of U.S. millennials (ages 18-34) cite proximity Health Benefi ts: Moderately ac ve park users under 65 save $427 annually in health care to parks as an important community characteris c. This is a vital considera on for Maury costs; Moderately ac ve park users over 65 save $854 annually in health care costs. Children County as it relates to encouraging young professionals to remain in Maury County as part of that have easy access to a playground are 5 mes more likely to have a healthy weight than the county’s growing community a er gradua on from high school and college. It also speaks children that do not have access to playgrounds. to the important role that parks and recrea on play in drawing and maintaining a young and skilled work force in Maury County. Property Value: Property values increase as much as 20 percent when adjacent to a park or greenway. A study in Ac ve Living Research es mated that the average household living half Valued Amenity for Retirement: a mile from open space would be willing to pay $4,104 more for a home to live a ¼ mile closer According to a study by the American Planning Associa on on “How Ci es Use Parks for to the open space. Economic Development”; A survey reviewed the importance of 14 features used to evaluate a re ree’s decision to move to a community. The fi rst two in rank order were scenic beauty and recrea onal opportuni es. Project Background 2 Project Schedule 3 Project Background Planning Approach The process used to establish Maury County's Park and Recrea onal Master Plan was both qualita ve and quan ta ve. Informa on was gathered from on-site reconnaissance, GIS mapping and demographics, exis ng planning studies and direct input from stakeholders in both large public input mee ngs and one-on-one interviews. This informa on was analyzed and communicated back to County staff and steering commi ee for the project, to shape out a preliminary master plan. Further review and public input of this preliminary plan created the recommenda ons for a fi nal master plan and the direct implementa on and policy tools to bring it to frui on. The stages of the planning process can be summarized as follows: Phase 1: Inventory & Existing Conditions Analysis Phase 2: Demand & Needs Assessment Phase 3: Master Plan Recommendations Phase 4: Implementation & Policy Recommendations Large Natural Areas Partnerships The significance of large natural areas and the importance of the scenic duck river are Partnership opportunities are an important component of the master plan with the of particular importance for Maury County and are strong considerations to include in understanding that they will play a meaningful role in meeting the increased demands the planning process. placed on parks and green space as development and growth occur. Parks facilities and partnerships where evaluated with a creative approach that expands beyond the Connections traditional defined regional, community or neighborhood park system. The Master Plan also focused on ways to better connect people with parks with the understanding that making parks accessible and linking parks and recreational Long Term Funding opportunities together greatly multiplies their impact and flexibility. The physical The master plan focused on specific needs to fund parks and recreation beyond the connections of greenways and multi-modal routes must be combined with strong general fund.