The City Commission discussed differences between the 2012 master plan and the 2025 version currently being drafted during a work session Monday night. Approval for the plan is likely coming in May.
Parks and Rec Director Sally Pennington said this plan would prepare for future projects and help organize future capital improvement projects. It will focus on aquatics, operations, maintenance and long-term budgeting.
The master planning process has consisted of six steering committee workshops, three months of community surveying with 168 responses and two community open houses.
Since 2012, approximately $1.5 million has been used for Parks and Recreation projects, which is an average of $127,000 a year. There has also been over two miles of additional shared-use paths, tree planting and programming growth, Pennington said.
The plan also compared Eudora’s Parks and Rec fees with other cities in the region to give the city a better idea of what could be raised if and when it’s necessary, Pennington said.
Making sure that arts, culture and historical offerings are discussed in the plan is new from the 2012 version. There are ideas for a veterans memorial, and more art and sculptures in town.
The plan also showed how important memberships are to the revenue the department brings in, which further shows the need to take care of equipment and leasing, she said.
The new plan focuses on programming and accounts for how programming will need to grow as the community grows.
Parks and Rec Programmer Matt Shirhall said for example, with the number of kids now playing basketball every night at the Rec Center, the department also has to consider what they would do if another 50 kids wanted to join the program.
Assistant City Manager Zack Daniel also noted that this new plan would be an asset when applying for grants as the city will be able to prove this is something the city is invested in, especially with receiving feedback from the community survey.
The community made it clear that an indoor pool was a top priority, and although the city does not have the land to build this kind of facility right now, they can still recognize its importance, Daniel said.
When talking about priorities, there are also other benefits that come from new ventures. For example, a new indoor pool near the proposed STAR bond district could mean swim meet events, more pool parties and memberships, Mayor Tim Reazin said.
Staff also noted that the priorities listed in the report can be rearranged depending on what grants become available. If something has the opportunity for funding, the city will take it – rather than saying it isn’t the No. 1 priority.
City Manager Kevyn Gero said since the city does not have a lot of land available to add new parks, the master plan focuses more on improvements to existing parks and expanding offerings. The 2012 plan had little discussion on programming and did not focus on revenue generation, she said.
Commissioner Alex Curnes was part of the steering committee and said the whole process showed how much programming Eudora has compared to cities of a similar size.
Curnes also said it was encouraging to see that 90% of survey respondents associated the identity of Eudora with its parks, how they look, work and what they have available.
Some people also identified items the city already has, so it’s interesting to see what amenities residents just might not be aware of, he said.
Commissioners also discussed interest in bathrooms coming to other parks and the potential for concessions at the ballfields by the high school. Splash pads, shade structures, renovations to Pilla Park, CPA Park, trail connectivity and boat ramp renovations were all topics brought up, too.
Reazin said it was nice to have a plan like this so projects don’t fall through the cracks.
At the next City Commission meeting May 12, JEO Consulting will present a more detailed presentation about the master plan before the commission has the option to adopt it. The plan will become public at this point.
The Eudora Times was not provided with a copy of the draft plan during the work session after asking the city to provide it.
