Executive Summary As stewards of parkland and recreation opportunities for the residents of this sizable community, the mission of the Naperville Park District is “to provide recreation and park experiences that promote healthy lives, healthy minds and a healthy community.” In addition, the Park District’s vision is “to be a national leader in parks and recreation by providing and promoting high quality experiences and facilities at a great value to the community.” These statements guide the District in decision-making at the board and staff levels. As the City of Naperville continues to grow in unique ways, the Naperville Park District persists in managing and developing its assets to serve the recreational needs of a diversely populated community, not only today but into the future. The Park District’s Administrative Policies state that the organizational Master Plan must be reviewed and updated every five years. In addition to following the board policy pursuant to timeframe, a revision is necessary at this time as the plan guides the District into the future by directing growth and change to be consistent with the overall vision and mission and in alignment with established goals and priorities. The updated plan identifies the District’s accomplishments over the last five years along with incorporating new goals and initiatives to meet the needs of the future population. As the Park District embarks on the next iteration of its Master Plan, it is important to acknowledge the impact that COVID-19 had not only globally, but also locally. This pandemic brought everyday life to a halt, including park programs and facilities. As research findings were released over time, many sources pointed to outdoor activity, such as bike riding and walking or jogging on trails, as safe ways to enjoy recreation outside of the home. While the research of parks improving physical, social, and mental wellbeing of its users is well documented, this became even more evident during the pandemic. The Park District needed to be available to serve the community. Now that more information is available, the Park District seeks to understand how the community’s needs and wants for recreation changed since the last Master Plan was approved in 2018. The Park District performed a Community Interest and Opinion Survey and Market Analysis in 2022 to shed light on the current state of the community’s recreational habits and how they look in the years ahead. The information received from the survey is being used in the development of this latest version of the Master Plan.
Numerous issues and opportunities were explored and shared by stakeholders in previous community surveys and iterations of this plan. A few of these major themes still remain today, including the need for additional Naperville Park District-owned indoor programmable space, a shrinking ability to acquire new land to meet shortages in some areas, and occasional over-programming of sites and amenities to meet recreational needs of the community. Additional complexities include a continued shift in population leading to diverse needs and service expectations resulting in challenging circumstances regarding the maintenance of the District’s parks. Conversely, opportunities afforded to the District include a skilled and committed staff, an involved Board that strives to improve the quality of life of the community and the organization, a concerned and engaged public that values its park and recreation opportunities, and an integrated system of existing quality parks and prized recreation programs. The Master Plan analysis focuses on other sources of information to identify needs within the area including: facilities standards analyses, previous plan data including the Recreation Programming Plan and its recommendations, the Strategic Plan, Marketing Plan, Non Tax Revenue Plan, 3-Year Financial Plan, and other Board approved documents, along with existing park and open space analysis. The Districtwide guides in this plan focus on a balanced program of increased maintenance, new facility construction and land acquisition to address identified deficiencies. Concurrently, it identifies the need to expand partnership opportunities, continue to collaborate with other governmental agencies, and establish and maintain fruitful partnerships with other jurisdictions and organizations to help supplement shortages and respond effectively to needs. The analysis identifies existing and projected future deficiencies/ surpluses in both open space supply and available facilities within the planning areas. The results are used to develop policies Districtwide and provide specific recommendations and improvements for each individual Planning Area. While all recommendations provided in this document are important, it should be of utmost consideration that this Master Plan remains flexible and amended accordingly to accommodate unforeseen trends, needs, and priorities. Vital to this plan, and to Park District operations as a whole, citizen input is encouraged in all Plan implementation actions. Although Naperville is near build-out, residents continue to demonstrate this is a community accustomed to accessing a high level of quality park and recreation services. To ensure that these services remain at that high standard while meeting the needs of the projected population, the Naperville Park District is committed to developing, redeveloping, and expanding the park system through a flexible Master Plan.
6 Naperville Park District | 2023 MASTER PLAN
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