AgdaPkt 2004-09-27 - Laserfiche WebLink

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8a� Message from the Director May 12, 2004 On behalf of all the Pazks and Recreation Board and Commission Members, Volunteers, Residents and Staff that helped with its creation, I am pleased to present the Pazks, Recreation and Community Services Department's Strategic Plan for 2004 and beyond. There has been a Parks and Recreation Department in Redwood City since 1937. As it says in Fifty Years in the Making, The Story of Redwood City's Parks 1937-1987, "Like all good stories, ... Redwood City's Pazks and Recreation Departrnent started simply with the Department's first director, Alfred "Red" Morton, lining the fields and turning on the lights for softball at Hawes". While there have been a lot of changes since July of 1937, our core purpose remains as simple as our beginnings. We exist to build community through people, parks and programs. This strategic plan has been developed to make sure that we focus our actions, efforts and resources so future generations will reap the "simple' benefits of: beautiful public places, quality recreation programs and facilities, excellent community services and opportunities to interact with the lazger community that we provide. The Plan is divided into four chapters: Introduction, Strategic Plan Overview, Strategic Actions and Plan Implementation and Updates. . The introduction describes why we chose to develop a plan, our process for collecting information, and our desire to make this a living document. The overview sections set the context by describing the core purpose, values, and outcomes we hope to achieve. We were very clear that we wanted a plan rooted in factual vs. anecdotal data. Much of the data that formed our strategies is contained in this section and includes: ■ Reviews of the 2000 Census data for Redwood City. • Issues identified by City Council as high priorities. • Feedback from the City's Neighborhood Survey. ■ Results of our own outreach visits to service clubs, youth organizations, and neighborhood groups. ■ Trends identified by the Parks and Recreation profession. We also took this opportunity to look inward and benchmark wherever possible, our pazks, programs and services as they compare to other cities on the Peninsula. In addition, the City's recent discussions regarding future water availability were considered as our vision for future parks and landscape areas was being developed. The recommended action strategies are grouped into the five categories of Parks, Recreation Programs, Community Service Programs, Community Facilities, and our Organizational Development. The specific goals and actions are summarized in our Executive Summary. The report concludes with our plans for tracking and updating the document. The late president of the United States Dwight D. Eisenhower said, "In preparing for battle I have always found that plans are useless, but planning is indispensable". Those who created this strategic plan would probably agree with our former President. We believe that the planning has been indispensable to the future of our organization. I am very proud of the fact that many people had a hand in putting together this vision for the Department's Future. Their listing in our acknowledgement page is a small token of our appreciation. I look forward to your support in making this plan a reality for Redwood City. Corinne Centeno Parks, Recreation and Community Services Director