DCNR-2017-Plan
Plan-GPM – 3 Rev. 12-12 / COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA
DEPARTMENT OF CONSERVATION AND NATURAL RESOURCES
BUREAU OF RECREATION AND CONSERVATION /
COMMUNITY CONSERVATION PARTNERSHIPS PROGRAM
Comprehensive Recreation, Park and Open Space Plan
General Information and Scope of Work Guidelines
INSTRUCTIONS: The following general information and examples of specific work tasks are provided to assist in the development of a scope of work for a Comprehensive Recreation, Park and Open Space Plan project. We encourage you to develop your proposed scope, tailored to meet the planning needs of your project, and submit this with your grant application. If your project is selected for a funding, a detailed project scope of work must be submitted to the Bureau for review before proceeding with the project.I. GENERAL INFORMATION
A. Before submitting a grant application and developing your scope of work, please contact the Bureau's Regional Advisor for your area of the Commonwealth to discuss your project and to develop a scope of work that meets your needs and the Bureau’s requirements. (A directory of Regional Advisors can be found in the Application Manual or by visiting the DCNR website at: www.dcnr.state.pa.us
The Bureau's Scope of Work Guidelines provide direction for a municipal, county or regional-based plan that identifies the methods, resources, organizational capacity and capital investment needed to accomplish both the short-term and long-term recreation, parks and open space goals of the community. The planning process includes substantial citizen involvement, inventory of existing conditions and facilities, analysis of issues and community needs, and specific recommendations that set forth actions, priorities and cost.
The scope for these planning efforts can be integrated with new guidelines that the Bureau has developed for greenway and open space network planning.
Municipalities and non-profit organizations are encouraged to work together to form partnerships to develop regional plans. The Bureau places a greater priority for funding on regional projects than on a planning project for one municipality. All grant recipients will be required to address each plan component in a manner agreed upon with the Bureau. The disposition of an applicant's plan is contingent upon the community's size, needs, and goals.
B. Expectations of the Bureau
To ensure an adequate comprehensive plan, the Bureau has four main expectations for the planning process and the plan. The purpose of your plan and the scope of work should be developed to ensure that these expectations are met.
· Substantial citizen involvement/public participation throughout the process.
· An examination and analysis of all the components of a comprehensive recreation, park and open space operation, i.e., its mission, areas and facilities, programs, administration, personnel, finance, maintenance, etc.
· A series of recommended actions for all the above topics that set forth proposed actions, priorities and costs.
· A comprehensive recreation and park plan is an official document that, in part, dictates municipal policy and decisions regarding land use. For that reason, the Bureau encourages municipalities to follow adoption procedures listed in the Pennsylvania Municipalities Planning Code, section 302, "Adoption of the Comprehensive Plan." These procedures require a formal public hearing as part of the plan adoption process with a 45-day review period. A copy of the plan must be sent to all adjacent municipalities and the school district. The Bureau provides specific details to the grantee later in the project.
C. Public Participation
The scope of work must include a public participation process that will fully engage the community in the planning process and truly give ownership of the plan to the citizens of the community. Please review the Bureau’s "Public Participation Guide" for specific information. This is one of the most critical elements of the planning process. Grantees must have an approved public participation process that includes a study committee, one public hearing, and at least one of the following options:
· Citizen survey
-or-
· Key-person interviews of community and business leaders as well as neighborhood and/or community public meetings
D. Eligible Costs for Reimbursement
Only work included in the Bureau approved Scope of Work is eligible for reimbursement (such as the consultant's time; the development, printing, distribution, tabulation and analysis of survey results; printing of interim and final documents, etc.) A grant may be used to reimburse consultant fees only. In-kind and agency administrative services are not eligible reimbursable costs but are a required local contribution.
E. Agency
The term "agency" is used throughout the scope of work. This refers to the entity that is preparing the plan such as one municipality, a regional recreation commission, an inter-governmental planning effort, etc.
II. SCOPE OF WORK ELEMENTS
Note: The Bureau has funded comprehensive park and recreation plans for over 20 years. Such plans generally follow the elements set forth below (items A-L). We encourage you to tailor your project scope of work to meet your agency's needs and objectives. The Bureau does not require each agency to fully complete items A-L but to choose the items that best fulfills their planning objectives. Bureau staff will assist agencies that are selected for funding in developing a tailored scope of work, which will best meet the needs of the community, planning standards and Bureau requirements.
A. Plan Purpose and Goals
Outcome: The agency defines the primary reasons for developing the plan and establishes the plan's focus. This process, developed before selecting a consultant team, allows the selected team to concentrate its research and analysis on the agency's highest priorities. Upon request, the Bureau will assist an agency with this component.
1. Describe the purpose of the plan noting any special or unique community concerns that will be addressed.
2. Develop goals of the plan that describe what the plan will accomplish.
3. Discuss how the agency and the general public will use the plan.
B. General Information and Community Background
Outcome: This component provides the reader with an overview of the community and its residents. Collected and analyzed socio-economic and physical resource data helps develop a future recreation and park system that reflects the needs of present and future residents as well as conserves the natural, cultural, and historic elements that contribute to a community's uniqueness and cohesiveness. This can be a brief summary of information already covered in an agency's existing planning documents (comprehensive and 537 plans, etc.) Use of the most recent U.S. Census data is required.
1. Community Background: Briefly describe the following:
a. Community character, setting, history, and geographic location.
b. Type of government.
c. History of the agency's recreation and park functions.
2. Socio-economic Features
a. Analyze socio-economic trends by comparing past U.S. Census information with the most recent U.S. Census data on these features: age, minority groups, education, gender, and per capita income.
b. Provide population projections for at least the next 10 years.
c. Briefly describe the major employers, economic conditions, and fiscal health of the community.
3. Physical Data
Note: For agencies desiring more analysis of open space, environmental issues, historical/cultural features, etc., this section can be expanded.
a. Provide an updated version of the existing municipal land use map.
b. Inventory and discuss the importance of these natural, cultural, and man-made features:
· Water resources -- flood plains, wetlands, waterways, canals, and stream corridors.
· Significant historic and cultural sites.
· Unique natural areas, woodlands, and geological features.
· Steep slopes (15% or greater).
· Man-made corridors (abandoned rail lines, utility right-of ways).
c. At a minimum, provide one comprehensive map that identifies the physical data noted above.
C. Agency Mission Statement and Goals
Outcome: The mission statement provides a clear definition of the agency's purpose and responsibilities. Goals address what the agency hopes to achieve over the next five to ten years.
Note: For agencies that have already developed a mission statement and goals, they should be analyzed to determine if they clearly focus the agency's direction and purpose, are reasonable and achievable, and reflect the needs of their constituents. For agencies initiating a parks and recreation program, completion of this task may be best accomplished towards the end of the project.
1. Discuss the purpose and use of a mission statement, goals, and objectives. These should have long-term applicability (beyond the planning process).
2. Develop a draft mission statement and general goals. (Developing general objectives is optional.) The mission statement and goals should be re-evaluated toward the end of the planning process to ensure that they are still appropriate for the agency.
D. Public Participation
Outcome: The agency's constituents must be involved in the development of this plan. The consultant team determines the extent constituents are currently using available services, what new services they desire, and what they want in the future.
1. Develop a well-rounded and representative study committee and discuss its involvement in the planning process.
2. Conduct at least a citizen survey or key person interviews of community and business leaders and public meetings with neighborhood and community groups. (Depending on the selected option, this component will need to be expanded).
3. Summarize results of the public participation process in the plan.
E. Administration
Outcome: This component analyzes how effectively the agency administers its recreation and park services. Agency practices are compared to accepted administrative practices. Analyzed practices include the agency's ability to involve the public with long-range planning efforts, its ability to work cooperatively with other public agencies, community groups, and businesses, and the effectiveness of existing office procedures and policies.
1. Describe and analyze these conditions:
a. The legal document under which the agency receives its authority and responsibility.
b. Relationships between the agency and community organizations and its involvement with regional initiatives.
c. Public relations and marketing efforts to promote agency functions, services, and programs.
d. Municipal-school cooperative efforts. Provide a copy of any existing agreements.
e. Cooperative efforts with other recreation providers, support groups, area businesses, etc.
f. Policies and procedures that govern the general operation of the agency's recreation and park functions (use of facilities, non-resident participation, policy manuals, risk management program, record keeping, etc.)
g. Opportunities for the public to get involved with planning efforts. Involvement could include the agency's use of program evaluation forms, distribution of surveys, public meetings, etc.
h. Record-keeping procedures.
2. Discuss any existing administrative problems, which will be examined more thoroughly as part of this planning effort.
F. Agency Personnel
Outcome: This component describes who is responsible for providing the agency's recreation and park services and analyzes the effectiveness of each involved entity. For most agencies, at least one entity is responsible for developing recreation and park services. Agency personnel, therefore, could include the governing body; a municipal manager; a public works department; paid recreation and park administrative, maintenance, and program staff; and/or volunteers like recreation and park board members.
1. Provide a current organizational chart and analyze if it reflects present conditions.
2. Provide the following:
a. A breakdown of the number and type of personnel involved with providing recreation and park services.
b. Existing job descriptions and a summary of the roles and responsibilities of involved personnel.
c. The numbers and descriptions of involved volunteers such as those serving on a recreation and park board or arts councils, maintaining parks, assisting with programs, etc.
3. Describe and analyze the following:
a. How new staff/volunteers are hired/appointed and trained for their new positions.
b. Existing personnel policies including any manuals, appraisal systems, opportunities to attend educational conferences and workshops, etc.
c. The level of staffing (paid or volunteer) needed to effectively administer and maintain the agency's facilities, programs, and services and compare with existing conditions.
G. Facility and Open Space Inventory and Analysis
Outcome: Existing recreation and park resources, regardless of ownership, are inventoried and analyzed then compared to standards based on population and service areas. When combined with community input, this identifies the general locations where new parks and open space areas are needed, the type of facilities that should be developed in these areas, and which facilities should be renovated first. This inventory should include existing forest buffers along rivers and streams (Riparian Forest Buffers) that are in the study area.
1. Provide, on a map broken down by census tract or neighborhoods, the location of indoor and outdoor facilities and open space owned/operated by:
a. Public agencies
b. Schools (public and private, all levels)
c. Major non-profits and quasi-public organizations (athletic associations, scouts, conservancies, service clubs, YMCA/YWCA's, etc.)
d. Major private businesses (health clubs, bowling alleys, etc.)
2. For all public (including schools) and non-profit facilities identified on the above map, list in accompanying charts:
a. Facility or open space name
b. Ownership
c. Number and type of facilities
d. Acreage
e. General condition and use
3. For facilities and open space areas owned or managed by the agency, list and analyze the following:
a. Facilities that are in poor condition and, generally, the major repairs needed.
b. The extent to which playgrounds meet current safety guidelines such as those developed by the Consumer Product Safety Commission.
c. The extent to which facilities comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
d. Facilities that have become obsolete or are no longer appropriate for surrounding residents.
e. The ability of residents to travel or walk to existing facilities.
4. Compare existing numbers and types of facilities with developed standards either from the National Recreation and Park Association or a county agency.
5. Compare received public input with existing facilities and conditions.
6. Discuss and analyze the preservation of existing Riparian Forest Buffers and the development of additional Buffers in coordination with statewide initiatives and goals.
7. Discuss and analyze open space preservation techniques such as mandatory dedication, overlay zoning, an official map, conservation easements, etc.
H. Facilities and Equipment Maintenance
Outcome: For agencies that are currently maintaining facilities, this component analyzes the effectiveness of their maintenance program. Agencies without any facilities are provided with an overview of recreation and park maintenance requirements and how they can develop effective maintenance programs to ensure the protection of future capital investments.