City of La Junta Master Plan

2021

The Citys parks and recreation system and amenities are at the heart of local activity and community pride. Colorado has a national reputation for being a place where residents are very active and enjoy outdoor recreation. Coupled with their passion for high school sports, La Junta is certainly no exception. The City, however, has not developed a comprehensive park and recreation master plan before. Doing so is an opportunity to take an assessment of all the physical and programmatic resources included in the Citys Parks and Recreation Department and collectively determine the priorities for future investment. Additionally, having a formal master plan creates an avenue for future funding opportunities to support the goals that result from the community-driven plan. Goal and Objectives The overall goal of this project is to develop a system-wide master plan for the City of La Juntas Parks and Recreation Department. The objectives for the Master Plan under this contract are as follows: A robust community engagement strategy and focused research on community needs for the City of La Junta to use for direction of important policy issues and to build wide-spread support of the plan for successful implementation. A comprehensive review of the staffing levels of City parks coupled with benchmarking of similar communities and other appropriate staffing comparisons and analyses. Analysis of the comprehensive recreation facilities and service providers within the City of La Junta, and potential duplications, gaps, and interests of the area. A detailed inventory of specific park facilities in the City to allow for comprehensive review and anticipatory planning related to park, trail, and recreation facility needs. A reconnaissance-level accessibility assessment of park and recreation facilities and general program accessibility, to determine that policies, practices, and procedures do not unintentionally exclude members of the public from accessing and participating in the public benefit opportunity afforded through the Citys parks and recreation resources. A trail development plan for the Citys non-motorized trail system. A thorough demographic based GIS review in order to update mapping of parks, trails, and open space locations, and accompanying barriers to park, recreation, and trail access.

Master Planning; La Junta; Rural parks and recreation; parts and recreation

Performing Research or Evaluation, Developing & Disseminating Information

Recreation-Related Activities, Other - Leadership

Community Trainees / Short term trainees, Professionals and Para-Professionals, General Public

Geographic Areas, Rural/Remote

Another State, Single-County

N/A