Wilsonville Parks Master Plan Community Meeting Aug. 2

WILSONVILLE, OR — Over the past three months, city officials surveyed Wilsonville residents on their preferences for investments into Parks & Recreation programs, services, and facilities; at a public meeting on Aug. 2, the results of that survey will be revealed.

The Parks & Recreation Department will host the public meeting at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 2, at City Hall, located at 29799 S.W. Town Center Loop East, where alongside consultants from GreenPlay, LLC, city officials will review and discuss the survey results. The city hired consultants from the Colorado-based GreenPlay for their "extensive experience" helping cities across the nation research and develop Parks & Recreation master plans.

"We are inviting the community to come and hear the results of the surveys and to provide feedback on the findings," Parks & Recreation Director Mike McCarty said in a statement. "The survey results are being used to help guide and prioritize recommendations to be included in the plan."

City officials said a statistically-valid questionnaire was mailed to 3,500 randomly selected households in Wilsonville before opening the online survey, which reportedly received about 600 responses. Altogether, McCarty estimates about 1,200 responses were received during the survey period — but it's not too late to provide input, he said.

"Residents can still email the (Parks & Recreation) department with suggestions," McCarty told Patch Friday. "Just because the survey is over doesn't mean public opinion is over … the more the better."

Both surveys asked a variety of questions regarding what types of parks, programs, facilities, and services city residents want, according to city spokesman Jon Gail, and McCarty said GreenPlay was pleased with the quality of what surveys were sent in.

Following the Aug. 2 meeting, Parks & Recreation staff will process all the feedback and provide the information to city council early next year, Gail said.

McCarty mentioned that residents will have until December to provide their final thoughts on the Master Plan, noting also that the Boones Ferry Master Plan update will be developed concurrently with the main Master Plan update.

The Boones Ferry Master Plan public meeting is scheduled for Sept. 5. More information on that meeting will be provided closer to September.

For more information about the Parks & Recreation Master Plan, residents can visit www.WilsonvilleParksandRec.com/ParksPlan, call McCarty at 503-570-1579, or email mccarty@ci.wilsonville.or.us.

This post has been updated to include comments from Wilsonville Parks & Recreation Director Mike McCarty.

Photo Courtesy: City of Wilsonville, Parks & Recreation Department