AgdaPkt 2004-09-27 - Laserfiche WebLink

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. Si ( \ r 1 f/' Chapter 1: INTRODUCTION The development of the Redwood City Parks, Recreation and Community Services Strategic Plan 2004 was guided by a Steering Committee representative of a broad cross section of the Redwood City Community. One of their first work products was a list of the desired outcomes for a Strategic Plan. These expectations included: reflecting needs expressed by the community; using hard data on community demographics; developing unifying principles for decision making; identifying priorities, goals, timelines and resources needs for recommended work; and providing a vehicle to communicate the needs and proposed work to policymakers, the general public and staff. The last department plan was completed in November of 1989 (see Appendix 1 for an annotated copy). 1.A. P�Atv PURPOSE The plan has three major purposes: ■ Present a long-term vision of success to inform planning and management; ■ Create a list of Departmental priorities to provide the flexibility to adjust the plan to the departmenYs budget environment; and • ■ Develop a process for managing the Department's commitments so that new requests and initiatives are considered in light of existing commitments. 1.B. INFORMATION USED TO DEVELOP THE PLAN The Departrnent and Steering Committee reviewed several sources of information to identify strategic issues and objectives. A biennial citywide community survey, completed in 2003, was a key source of input. The survey included a set of questions on parks, recreation and community services. The planning committee also reviewed the results of ineetings with 18 community groups and sports leagues, which provided a qualitative assessment of user needs and goals. The plan also reflects quantitative data, including an assessment of data from the 2000 Census and from the Department's operational statistics. Finally, the City Council priorities and citywide strategic planning principles were reviewed to ensure that the strategic plan supports the City's overall efforts to provide excellence in service to the community of Redwood City. 1.C. RELATIONSHIP TO OTHER PLANNING ACTIVITIES Figure 1 illustrates the relationship between the strategic plan and other planning and management activities. The strategic plan is comprehensive: it provides guidance and priorities for all areas of the Departrnent. As it moves forward into implementation, the Department will conduct detailed implementation planning to achieve its strategic priorities. For example, objectives Al, Bl, Cl, and Dl describe analyses of population growth and usage patterns that will determine when and where additional facilities, parkland, and programs will be needed to meet projected community needs. Finally, specific implementation actions will be funded and scheduled through project plans and the budget process. The Capital Improvement Program will be used to implement major facility improvements. Collectively, the Department's planning and analysis tools will inform development of the parks and recreation element of the Redwood City General Plan Update, and General Plan goals and policies will inform updates of the Strategic Plan. Redwood City Parks, Recreation, and Community Services � 2004StrategicPlan 1-2