Planning Commission Meeting Dec 23, 2008 Cancelled

The Planning Commission meeting that was scheduled for December 23, 2008 has been cancelled. A public hearing for the Parks, Recreation and Open Space Plan was advertised for this date. The hearing is tentatively rescheduled for the next regular Planning Commission meeting on January 27, 2009. The official notice for the hearing will be published in the Whidbey News Times.

December 8, 2008 Park Board Meeting

On December 8, 2008 the Park Board will review the proposed DRAFT Parks, Recreation and OPen Space Plan. The proposed DRAFT Plan will be posted on this blog site shortly. Members of the Public are welcome to attend the Park Board meeting. The meeting is at 11:30 am at the Public Works Facility located on 16th Avenue.

ACTION PLAN

The 2008 Parks, Recreation and Action Plan also adopts an action plan for the next six years. The action plan provides a proactive approach to fulfilling a few of the many goals that are listed in the comprehensive list of goals.


The Action Plan can be accessed by clicking here.

RECOMMENDED PLAN

The need for trails and Natural Areas (Open Space) in and around Oak Harbor has been established by the public through the survey, input at hearings and open meetings, and requests to the Parks Division. Therefore the Recommended Plan for 2008 Parks, Recreation and Open Space focuses on these aspects.


The Recommended Plan provides different strategies to achieve interconnectedness within the City and outside the City. Within the City the Plan recommends the use of the existing street system to provide connectivity. The strategies for new development includes nodes and connectors.


To read more about these strategies please click here. The enclosed link leads to a document in PDF file.

Summary of survey results

1. Parks are used most during the summers, followed by spring and fall with activity levels dropping off during winter. As trivial as this may seem, this indicates that there is need to provide opportunities during the winter season to keep activity levels up.
2. Community Parks are most frequently used parks followed by neighborhood parks. This indicates the importance of providing community parks and the need for the City to plan for them.
3. Hiking/jogging/walking is the most popular and frequent activity. Playground came in second followed closely by biking. Other notables are swimming and soccer. This provides information on the need to cater to these activities and improve on them.
4. With many choices available to residents of Oak Harbor, respondents chose City Parks over Navy, School and County facilities to indulge in their favorite activities primarily because of convenience and availability. This speaks to the location and quantity of existing parks and the need to continue this level of service.
5. Locations of community and neighborhood parks are convenient but Trails were not. This information combined with the indication of the most popular activities indicates the need to provide more trails and more convenient locations.
6. Respondents rated the general conditions of parks as “good”. The results indicate that lighting can use some improvement. The lighting can refer to both safety issues and the extended use of parks during the winter season when daylight is limited. Considering these changes will also require discussion on policies of park hours.
7. Respondents are satisfied with the size and quantity of community and neighborhood parks but are dissatisfied with the trails. Again this points to the need for more trails within the City. Considering this subject may crossover into other areas such as transportation, public health etc.
8. Respondent ranked Natural Forest Areas as No.1 in desired facilities followed closely by multi-use trails. “Other” came in third. A close look at the information under “Other” revealed more trails and tennis. Playground, swimming pool and soccer fields are other notables. Another interesting finding in the “Other” categories was the use of the adjective “Indoor”. This information combined with the activity levels during the seasons demonstrates the need for such facilities. Splash pool/water parks came in fourth on the desired facilities.
9. Approximately 46% of the respondents were OK with sales tax and user fees to support parks. More than 50% of the respondents did not support property tax to further parks.
10. Who were the respondents? More than 60% of the respondents were female. More than 60% were the head of households. The households that responded had more people in the age group of 35 to 65+.

SURVEY RESULTS - FREQUENT ACTIVITIES

Hiking/jogging/walking is the most popular and frequent activity. Playground came in second followed closely by biking. Other notables are swimming and soccer. This provides information on the need to cater to these activities and improve on them. The combined interest and frequency in hiking, jogging, walking and biking establishes a need for more trails, multiuse trails, connectivity and other related infrastructure.

SURVEY RESULTS - ACTIVITY LEVELS

Parks are used most during the summers, followed by spring and fall with activity levels dropping off during winter. As trivial as this may seem, this indicates that there is need to provide opportunities during the winter season to keep activity levels up.