Parks and Rec explores future planning

     On Jan. 10, the Monticello Parks and Recreation Board and staff heard a presentation from MSA Professional Services, Inc. about long-term planning strategies for the Parks and Rec Department.

     MSA has offices in both Cedar Rapids and Dubuque.

     Parks and Rec Director Jacob Oswald said he’d been contacted by an MSA representative several years ago. Last fall, Oswald also sat in on an MSA presentation at a League of Cities event.

     “The Hiawatha Parks and Rec used MSA to develop their master plan,” shared Oswald.

     If the Parks Board approves having MSA work with them on a master plan, it could cost up to $25,000.

     “They look at the plans you had done in the past, and start by inventorying your parks and amenities; what you have and what you don’t have, the conditions of your parks,” explained Oswald. Parks and Rec oversees and maintains about 10 parks and greenspaces throughout the city.

     Oswald said the NRPA (National Recreation and Park Association) looks at how many acres collectively a city/parks and rec department has in terms of the national standard per 1,000 people. Monticello is close to double the standard.

     “But,” asked Oswald, “are they all utilized?”

     A big piece of putting together a current master plan is to engage the community.

     “What do people do? What do people want to do? What do we need to add?” proposed Oswald as potential questions. “Feedback will be huge because we can only think of so many ideas ourselves.”

     MSA will also do some crowd sourcing, meaning mapping out which of the city’s parks and public spaces are most utilized. They’ll also work on putting together focus groups centered on specific programs such as pickleball, trail users, etc.

     “They’ll compile all of the data and put together a report and help us formulate a plan based on the results,” summarized Oswald.

     In addition, MSA could also assist Parks and Rec in financial planning. For example, if results show a new recreation center is needed in the community, MSA would work with the department on a funding plan and grant opportunities.

     Oswald shared that the Parks Board is fully interested in working with MSA.

     “It could be a six-month process,” he warned of the timeline. “But we need city council approval because of the amount (needed to cover the scope of services).”

     Oswald said he has the funds in his Fiscal Year 2022 budget to cover the cost. During the Jan. 17 city council meeting, Oswald proposed the idea to the council, even offering to have an MSA representative come and present at a future council meeting.

     “They (MSA) can answer any questions you might have,” Oswald offered the council during their most recent meeting. “We’re in favor of having them do a comprehensive plan to target what the community wants us to do in the future.”

     “Parks and Rec has changed a lot in the last 20 years,” remarked Council member Candy Langerman. “We need to know where we’re headed and where we’re spending money on and why.”

     “It’s changed a lot in the last two years,” added Council member Tom Yeoman.

     The council and city staff felt they could make a date work in late February or early March for a presentation.