A community parks and recreation master plan is a document that provides a framework for the orderly acquisition and development of parks and recreation resources and facilities in the community. Specifically, the master planning process:

1. Researches the needs, interests, and concerns of residents about parks and recreation in the community.
2. Establishes priorities and direction based on the researched findings.
3. Serves as a framework against which decisions related to parks and recreation can be evaluated.

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Public Meeting

All township residents with an interest in parks and recreation should plan to attend a public meeting on Thursday, December 10, 2009 at 7:00 pm at the Union Township Hall. This meeting is being conducted to gather public input for the development of a master plan for parks and recreation for the township. The parks and recreation master plan will assist township officials in making decisions about future park and recreation development and improvements in the township.

Public Input Opportunities

Update:

As part of the parks and recreation master planning process, a number of opportunities will be made available for public input into the planning process.

1. A telephone survey of township households will be conducted during October. This survey will seek resident input on the many services provided by the township government as well as to solicit input about future needs of the township. The survey will include a number of questions about Union Township parks and recreation.
2. A public meetings is scheduled for Thursday, December 10 at 7:00 pm at the Union Township Hall. All Union Township residents are invited to participate in the public meetings to express their interests, needs and concerns about parks and recreation in the township.
3. If you are not selected for the telephone survey or cannot attend the public meetings, feel free to use this Blog as your opportunity to express your views about planning for parks and recreation. Click on the link to email your thoughts.

All residents of Union Township are encouraged to take an active role in planning to meet the future needs of the township for adequate parks and recreation.

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The Benefits of Parks and Recreation

SOME THOUGHTS ON THE BENEFITS OF PARKS AND RECREATION TO A COMMUNITY

Parks, open space and natural areas are essential to ecological survival

• Green space protects habitat, biodiversity and ecological integrity
• Green spaces improve air quality - removing carbon dioxide, sulphur dioxide, and other pollutants from the air
• Outdoor recreation is one of the best approaches to environmental education - a key to long-term sustainability
• Protecting land from development (keeping it as open space) mitigates against potential environmental disaster (flooding, slip zone, aquifer depletion)
• Trail and pathway systems save energy and protect air quality by encouraging non-motorized transportation
• Arts/culture is one of the best ways to express the spirituality of the land, thereby encouraging stewardship ethics

Recreation is essential to personal health!

• Recreation helps people live longer
• Recreation prolongs independent living for seniors - keeping seniors vital and involved in community life
• Recreation and fitness significantly reduces the risk of coronary heart disease and stroke
• Recreation and fitness combat osteoporosis
• Recreation and fitness combat diabetes
• Recreation and fitness help in preventing specific types of cancers - particularly in the colon, breast and lungs
• Recreation and fitness helps prevent and rehabilitate back problems
• Recreation and arts/culture contribute to mental health
• Recreation and arts/culture enhance overall health and well-being
• Recreation is a proven therapeutic tool - helping to restore physical, mental and social capacities and abilities

Recreation is key to balanced human development

• Recreation is essential to the development of our children and youth:
• We learn motor skills (physical) through play and sports
• We learn social skills through play and sports
• We learn creativity through play and arts/cultural activity
• We develop intellectual capacities and concepts through play - and many other life skills
• Recreation provides the opportunity for adults to develop their full and holistic potential
• Recreation and adult leisure learning provide exceptional opportunities

Recreation is essential to quality of life

• Recreation and arts/culture build self-esteem and positive self-image
• Recreation and arts/culture enhance life satisfaction levels
• Recreation and arts/culture enhance perceived quality of life - for individuals, families and communities
• Recreation, sports & arts/culture nurtures growth, acquisition of life skills and independent living for those with a disability

Recreation reduces self-destructive and anti-social behaviour

• Recreation, sports and arts/culture reduce self-destructive behaviour and negative activity in youth - an antidote to smoking, substance abuse, suicide and depression
• Recreation and arts/culture can reduce crime
• Recreation and arts/culture can reduce racism - building understanding between diverse cultures
• Recreation reduces isolation, loneliness and alienation

Recreation builds strong families and healthy communities

• Families that play together, stay together
• Recreation provides safe developmental opportunities for the latch-key child
• Recreation, sports and arts/culture produce leaders who serve their communities in many ways
• Recreation, sports and arts/culture build social skills and stimulate participation in community life
• Recreation is often the catalyst that builds strong, self-sufficient communities (ie sport groups, arts guilds)
• Art/culture helps people understand their neighbours, their history and their environment
• Recreation and arts/culture build pride in a community

Recreation reduces health care, social service and police/justice costs

• Fitness and well-being reduce both the incidence and severity of illness and disability - lowering healthcare costs
• Recreation supports families - reducing costs of social service intervention and foster care
• Recreation reduces crime and social dysfunction - reducing police, justice and incarceration costs

Recreation and parks are significant economic generators in the community

• Recreation and fitness improve work performance - increased productivity, decreased absenteeism, decreased staff turnover, reduced "on the job" accidents
• Recreation & arts/culture attract businesses to the community - prime economic development & relocation magnets
• Recreation, sports and arts/culture are the attractions that draw tourism - the third largest and one of the fastest growing industries in the world today
• Recreation, fitness, sports and arts/culture are significant economic generators on their own - providing many jobs
• Small investments in recreation, sports and arts/culture often yield large economic returns - money generated by events, capital development and providing ongoing services is spent several times in the community

Source: http://www.cpra.ca/EN/main.php?action=cms.initBeneParksRec&PHPSESSID=7acd548f329ef0c3fba83fea91d89690

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A new way to look at parks

In contrast to the traditional way of thinking about parks as pieces of land within a community, I would encourage you to think in terms of a community existing within a park[1].

People do not congregate, recreate, or simply enjoy the outdoors only on park land designated for recreation purposes. They use streets (preferably with sidewalks), green spaces, town squares, plazas, marketplaces, open lands, and numerous other areas, both public and private, to meet their desires for recreation and social contact.

Taking this perspective requires thinking and planning beyond the borders of traditional parks to a vision of spaces (public and private) linked by sidewalks, trails, and greenways connecting people to all areas of the community where they can connect for recreation and social engagement.

[1] Mertes, J.D. and J.R. Hall. Park, Recreation, Open Space and Greenway Guidelines. Alexandria, VA: National Recreation and Park Association, 1995

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