The recommendations are from consultants from American Structurepoint, who are being paid $80,000 for their work updating the parks and recreation masterplan. Their findings were outlined earlier this month in a public meeting at Hobart Arena. The city later, at American Structurepoint’s request, also paid $20,000 to Legacy Sports Group to take a closer look at parks and recreation facilities, such as Paul G. Duke Park, and how they could impact tournaments and tourism-related events.
“There is a lot here. A lot to be proud of already here,” said Matthew O’Rourke of American Structurepoint.
The next step will be to schedule a joint meeting/work session between the city Park and Recreation boards, hopefully in mid-January, so they can send detailed recommendations to city council, said Patrick Titterington, city service and safety director.
At the same time, the city will start looking at grant opportunities, analyze which parks to dispose of (as recommended) and get more feedback, especially from the skateboard groups (following study recommendations).
Among most heard requests for were more restrooms, parking, lighting, fields, seating, water fountains, splash pads and park playground equipment. A more surprising request for consultants was more disc golf. More ballfields, particularly for Troy Junior Baseball, whose current facilities outside the city system flood frequently, were also among requests and topics of pre-study council discussions.
“People want a lot of variety, a lot of choice,” O’Rourke said.
The city’s busiest parks include Duke Park, nearby Community Park and the Joe Reardon Skatepark.
“Whatever the final priorities are, we know that we need to come up with financing. It’ll no doubt have to be a combination of general fund reserves, bonding, grants, foundation support, private organization commitments and maybe holding a tin cup on the street corner,” Titterington said.
The consultants included in their report the following key recommendations:
- Facilities upgrades and maintenance recommendation: Evaluate upgraded infrastructure at Duke Park to include expanding the park to the north and south on land already owned by the city. The plan would include field and diamond additions, new concession and restroom facilities, enhanced spectator areas and updated parking infrastructure. Consider the installation of artificial turf on select high-use fields to increase playability and reduce maintenance.
- Program consolidation recommendation: Collaborate with current leagues, sports organizations and the park department to assess whether program consolidation is feasible. This may improve efficiency and create new opportunities for expanding Troy’s sports offerings.
- Governance and operational efficiencies recommendation: Due to the fragmented nature of the existing sports programming, the team recommends further evaluation of developing a singular organization that could work collaboratively to support all sports programming for the city.
- Financial sustainability and community partnerships recommendation: Create a diversified funding strategy that moves beyond reliance on standard registration fees. This involves actively pursuing corporate sponsorships, state and federal grants and initiating a capital fundraising campaign.
For more information on the American Structurepoint presentation, visit the city website. The video of the consultants’ presentation in December is on the city YouTube channel.
Contact this contributing writer at nancykburr@aol.com.
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