Neighborhood Parks and Trails The Parks and Recreation Department focuses on the creation and maintenance of City and regional parks. Throughout the city, there are many facilities that function as neighborhood parks, but that are owned and operated by HOAs. As neighborhoods age, it sometimes becomes difficult for the HOAs to continue effective upkeep for these facilities, and many of them are currently in a state of disrepair. While the City is not responsible for the maintenance of these facilities, it is recommended that the City conduct a study to determine the best way to rectify this issue. Some possible options include more development standards for park maintenance as new HOAs are created and set-aside funds for maintenance and replacement when neighborhood parks are created, potentially through the use of development agreements. In addition, neighborhoods need more connections to the trail system. Additional development standards requiring access to the nearest park or trail could help in solving this issue for future neighborhoods. For established neighborhoods, an additional agreement between the HOAs and the City could allow for the City to implement connections. Community Programming While parks and trail improvements are typically focused on physical infrastructure or amenities, programming provides for a variety of experiences within the City’s facilities. Programming includes activities, games, and classes that are centered around athletics, fine arts, and events. The 2021 Community Survey shows that while 76% of residents positively view the quality of parks and recreation opportunities, 57% positively view recreational opportunities, which is 3% higher than the same rating taken in 2015. Similarly, 60% positively view recreation programs or classes, which is 6% lower than the same rating taken in 2015. Meanwhile, the availability of paths and walking trails has increased from 39% to 65% in approval ratings since 2015. This indicates that over the past few years, more resources have been allocated to the physical infrastructure rather than the programming. It should be noted that the 2021 Community Survey was conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic when most programs were closed; this may have affected the results of the survey related to Parks programming. As the City expands programming, they will need to maintain an adequate level of staffing and other resources to provide these services to the community. The 2020 Parks Master Plan public outreach shows that: Î The most supported strategy to increase funding for programming is to increase the Parks and Recreation Department’s annual budget Î Residents identified the top two priorities for future implementation as developing and improving existing facilities and developing more active recreation (such as fishing, swimming, etc.) opportunities Î The top three most popular programming activities would be outdoor adventure programs, family- oriented programs, and outdoor educational programs
Future Infrastructure Needs The public outreach from both the 2020 Parks Master Plan and the current Comprehensive Plan indicates that people are most interested in a few specific infrastructure improvements. These descriptions are provided below. RECREATION CENTER(S)
SHADED AREAS Multiple comments were received that more shaded areas are needed citywide. Primary locations for this need are along existing trails and sidewalks and within parks. The City should provide more shaded areas along existing trails, in combination with benches and water fountains, to allow for rest areas between trail heads. Providing shaded areas in parks would allow for more comfortable outdoor programming. Comments also indicated that while some of the parks have shaded areas, many are in need of expansion or should be replaced.
Many residents living on the west side of Pearland indicated that they would like to see a recreation center closer to their homes. They indicated that it is difficult to access the recreation center on the east side of town and that it is the only place that offers indoor recreational activities. Some indicated that it would be beneficial if it were located next to the Shadow Creek High School, as many of the students find themselves without options for affordable after-school activities. Providing a recreation center on the west side of town would allow residents and students to have access to indoor recreation options. Those who currently use the Pearland Recreation Center and Natatorium indicated that they would like to see additional programming within the recreation center itself.
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