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Parks & Recreation Master Plan
The City of Stow has recently completed a master plan process to establish priorities for the future of our parks, trails, recreation facilities, and programs and services within the City. As part of the process, the community was invited to participate in an online survey that was conducted by representatives from the project planning firm, PROS Consulting. We had a GREAT response to the survey. We HEARD you! Your voice and opinions are very important to the City as we move forward with the master plan process. The results of the survey are aiding the City of Stow in taking a community-driven approach to making decisions that will enrich the future of our City and positively affect the quality of life we provide for our residents.
The result will be a five-year strategic action plan that will guide the City in the future planning, development and implementation of our parks, facilities, trails, programs, events and services. The results of the survey and the action plan will be shared with our residents once complete.
Project Goals
- Engage the community leadership and stakeholders through innovative public input means to build a shared vision for parks, facilities, programming, and special event services, as well as open space in trails in the City of Stow;
- Utilize a wide variety of data sources and best practices, including a statistically-valid survey to predict trends and patterns of use and how to address unmet needs in the community;
- Determine unique Level of Service Standards that to develop appropriate actions regarding parks, open space, trails, and recreation that reflects the City’s strong commitment in providing high quality recreational activities for the community;
- Shape financial and organizational preparedness through innovative and “next” practices to achieve the strategic objectives and recommended actions with achievable strategies;
- Develop a dynamic and realistic strategic action plan that creates a road map to ensure long-term success and financial sustainability for the City’s parks and recreation services and amenities, as well as action steps to support the family-oriented community and businesses that call the City of Stow home.
The City of Stow recently completed a Parks & Recreation Master Plan. As part of that master planning process, almost 1,700 residents completed a community survey. In that survey, respondents were asked to prioritize their top four recreational amenities for their households. The amenity receiving the strongest support was a community center/recreation center.
As a result of this master plan and its public input process, which in addition to the survey, included stakeholder meetings and focus group meetings, the City has engaged a consulting team to complete a feasibility study for a multi-purpose, multi-generational indoor facility.
At this time, the City is only committed to the completion of the feasibility study. The feasibility study will provide the City with key data and information on the market and demand for services, develop operational costs, and determine capital investment for potential construction.
An online survey, which is a crucial part of the feasibility study process, was conducted. Resident feedback and participation was strong. The results will assist the consulting team in determining if a community/recreation center is feasible for our community, and if the data deems it is, what amenities and programs should be a part of the facility.
The next step of the process includes implementing stakeholder and focus group meetings specific to a CONCEPT design for a potential facility.
Update: 1/2023
The City of Stow completed a Parks & Recreation Master Plan in 2022, and as part of that master planning process, almost 1,700 residents completed a community survey. In that survey, respondents were asked to prioritize their top four recreational amenities for their households. The amenity receiving the strongest support was a community center/recreation center.
As a result of this master plan and its public input process, the City engaged a consulting team to complete a feasibility study for a multi-purpose, multi-generational indoor facility. The feasibility study will provide the City with key data and information on the market and demand for services, develop operational costs, and determine capital investment needed for potential construction. The results of the study will assist the City in determining if a community/recreation center is feasible for our community, and if the data deems it is, what amenities and programs should be a part of the facility. The study should be completed in February.