The City of Casa Grande has launched into a yearlong planning process for updating its Community Services Strategic Master Plan, beginning with a focus on community needs and park facilities.
The City’s Community Services Department includes five divisions: parks, recreation, golf, senior services and library. The document will set out policies and strategies for how the department can best serve the community over the next 10 to 15 years, based on residents’ and visitors’ input.
Officials said the process will require extensive public engagement to determine the best use of its resources to bring people together.
According to the website created to act as a portal to the process, www.planyourparkscg.com: “We believe through Parks, Recreation & Libraries connections are made. We want to know how you want to connect to others, connect to nature and connect to our community.”
The City Council has contracted with PROS Consulting of Goodyear and Kimley-Horn of Phoenix to facilitate the process, officially launched during a Feb. 7 City Council meeting, with public participation beginning at a Feb. 16 community webinar.
Community Services Department Director Steve Hardesty said input will be gathered during this spring at several events, as well as throughout the process on the project website:
- A statistically valid survey conducted in the community in March and April.
- Onsite surveys at community events including Easter activities and Public Safety Day.
- Onsite surveys at the Main Library and Community Recreation Center throughout the spring.
- Online general surveys conducted in late spring.
- Dates for additional public meetings have not been set yet, but they will occur at several points while the plan is being developed:
- May and June — Presentation of key public needs assessment findings.
- Mid- to late summer — Key technical findings.
- Fall — Recommendations and implementation plan.
- Late fall — Final plan for adoption.
