How ought to Erie enhance its public parks? Town needs your enter

Town of Erie is searching for the general public’s enter on a proposed complete, multiyear plan for enhancing the town’s public parks.

Metropolis officers are asking residents to finish an internet survey concerning the plan at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/6PM35T5, which takes 5 to 10 minutes to finish.

Renee Lamis, Mayor Joe Schember’s chief of workers, stated the town gathered enter from native youth concerning the plan “at summer time occasions and we have been assembly with teams of children… Now we’re launching the survey for the neighborhood.”

The survey will stay open till Oct. 31.

Metropolis officers have Design Workshop, a panorama structure, city design, planning and strategic companies agency with workplaces in Colorado, Texas, Nevada, California and North Carolina, to assist develop the plan. The initiative will take a look at potential enhancements to the town’s parks over a 20-year time-frame.

Town has greater than 50 parks in addition to almost two dozen playgrounds, in response to metropolis officers.

Final strategic plan is 30 years outdated

The parks plan has been within the works for a number of years; the town’s final complete parks plan was performed in 1994 below then-Mayor Joyce Savocchio.

Town’s parks collectively comprise roughly 385 acres, and the town additionally operates two public golf programs, the J.C. Martin Golf Course on Shunpike Street and Downing Golf Course on Troupe Street in Harborcreek.

How a lot will the parks enchancment plan price?

Jackie Spry, the town’s planning director, stated the town has put aside greater than $4 million in American Rescue Plan funds for the parks enchancment plan. Town in 2021 obtained roughly $76 million from the $1.9 trillion federal stimulus invoice, signed into regulation by then-President Joe Biden to assist within the restoration from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Spry stated in April that “the plan will present a system-wide method to prioritize monetary methods to keep up current parks and recreation services, broaden leisure companies primarily based on present and future funding eventualities, and consider the necessity and sustainability of our Bureau of Parks.”

Design Workshop is being paid as much as $237,743 for its work on the plan; $187,743 comes from ARP {dollars} and the remaining $50,000 was offered by a Pennsylvania Division of Conservation and Pure Sources grant.

Design Workshop’s suggestions/a draft report are anticipated in early 2026.

For extra details about the venture/survey, go to erieoutside.com.

Contact Kevin Flowers at kflowers@timesnews.com. Observe him on X at@ETNflowers.

This text initially appeared on Erie Instances-Information: Erie launches survey for public enter on parks enchancment plan