Parks & Recreation

Goal

A parks and recreation system that promotes healthy lifestyles by offering active and passive recreational opportunities for residents, employees, and visitors, and enhances the overall image and character of the community.

Of the workshop attendees on April 26, 2003, 92.5% agreed or strongly agreed with this goal statement.

Objectives

Listed in order of urgency for implementation:

• Create the means and mechanisms to own, manage and maintain parks and recreation opportunities.
• Cooperate with citizens, community groups, and various levels of government to develop a comprehensive parks, open space and recreation plan that reflects goals and objectives from the Green Community process. This process should respect land differences for appropriate uses.
• Develop design guidelines for development of community proposal that encourages trails development and offer recreation amenities for employees.
• Develop a variety of active and passive recreation opportunities for all, including special needs, such as neighborhoods, community parks, trails and open spaces that link to and complement the regional open space, parks, and recreation facilities in the Homer Glen area.
• Develop a multi-use parks, commons, and recreation center as part of a new Town Center to create a central gathering place and activity area.
• Develop a network of multi-us trails and pathways to provide connections between subdivisions, schools, parks, and commercial areas.
• Identify creative funding mechanisms in order to achieve and implement park, open space, and recreation objectives.