Consultant: Johns Creek Needs "Permanent" Funding Stream For Parks

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Editor’s note: the following was submitted by the city of Johns Creek

A consultant developing a 10-year master plan for Johns Creek Recreation and Parks says the city has some choices to make, such as buy more park land and develop it over time or buy fewer parcels and develop it sooner.

Mack Cain of the Mack Cain Design Studio at Travis Pruitt & Associates laid out some of the options during two community meetings on July 21.

The presentation outlined preliminary goals and themes distilled from months of soliciting public input.

More than 1,500 individuals have participated in the planning process thus far and identified a broad spectrum of potential park additions and improvements.

Through an online survey, public meetings, and interviews, Cain found strong support for purchasing more park land, developing a system of recreational greenways and creation of a large athletic complex with multi-purpose artificial turf fields numerous enough for tournament play or an indoor recreation center. Other improvements are also contemplated for each of the city’s existing parks.

At the community meetings July 21, Cain said additional funding likely will be required to acquire and develop additional park land and to improve existing parks.

“A permanent funding stream is critical to the long-term success of a recreation and parks system,” Cain said.

The consultant is using the online survey, interviews and community meetings to gauge how receptive the community might be to various funding options, such as a parks-specific bond referendum, an annual household assessment, and other financing methods.

In the coming month, Cain and his team will complete additional analysis in an effort to prioritize potential investments in the 10-year planning horizon and provide information regarding potential funding strategies.

Residents are encouraged to continue to share their thoughts about the prioritization of improvements and the funding for such improvements by taking the online survey or reaching out to the Project Manager Kimberly Greer at Kimberly.Greer@JohnsCreekGA.gov or 678-512-3200.

At the presentations, Greer encouraged the public to remain involved in the planning process.

“Your input and involvement in this planning process proves that in Johns Creek, recreation and parks are an important quality-of-life issue that matters to our community and is worthy of our investment and attention,” she added.

Greer encouraged those in attendance to share the presentation with their neighbors, friends, and family and as well as feedback on prioritization and funding of investments.

The draft plan is anticipated to be reviewed by the City Council at its Aug. 24 meeting, with consideration for adoption as early as September.

All plan documents will be posted to the Recreation and Parks Strategic Plan webpage in late August.

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Photo credit: city of Johns Creek’s Facebook page