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HomeMy WebLinkAboutDRAFT CHAPTER 2 GOALS JCPRAB Oct 1 2014 (0002) CHAPTER 2 GOALS AND OBJECTIVES The framework for the Parks, Recreation and Open Space Comprehensive Plan lies with the Goals and Objectives, when implemented , help guide Jefferson County’s vision for the guidance of parks and recreation over the next six years. MISSION STATEMENT The Mission of Jefferson County Parks and Recreation is to improve the health, welfare, and safety of the citizenry; protect the environment, and promote economic development through state of the art recreational and educational programs and facilities supported by public tax revenue, fees, grants and private donations. The vision of Jefferson County Parks and Recreation is not to s erve every purpose, but to lead towards cooperation and comprehensive community solutions. ADMINISTRATIVE GOAL #1 SUSTAINABLE RESOURCES AND COORDINATED MANAGEMENT: Create effective and efficient methods of acquiring, developing, operating and maintaining facilities and programs that accurately distribute costs and benefits to public and private interests. Financial Objectives: a. Investigate innovative available methods, such as growth impact fees, land set-a-side or fee-in-lieu-of-donation ordinances, and inter-local agreements, for the financing of facility development, maintenance, and operating needs in order to reduce costs, retain financial flexibility, match user benefits and interests, and increase facility services. b. Consider joint ventures with other public and private agencies such as Port Townsend, the Port Townsend, Chimacum, Quilcene, and Brinnon School Districts, regional, state, federal, and other public and private agencies including for-profit concessionaires, where feasible and desirable. Public and private resource coordination: a. Create a comprehensive, balanced park, recreation, and open space system that integrates Jefferson County facilities and services with resources available from Port Townsend, the Port Townsend, Chimacum, Quilcene, and Brinnon School Districts, and other state, federal, and private park and recreational lands and facilities in a manner that will best serve and provide for resident area interests. b. Cooperate with other public and private agencies to avoid duplication, improve facility quality and availability, reduce costs, and represent resident area interests through joint planning and development efforts. Cost Benefit Assessment Objective: a. Define existing and proposed land and facility levels-of-service that differentiate requirements due to population growth impacts versus improved facility standards, neighborhood versus county nexus of benefit, city versus the combination of city, county, school, and other provider agency efforts in order to effectively plan and 2 program park, recreation, and open space needs within the proposed urban growth area boundaries. b. Create effective and efficient methods of acquiring, developing, operating and maintaining park and recreational facilities in manners that accurately distribute costs and benefits to public and private user interests-including the application of growth impact fees where new developments impact existing level-of-service (ELOS) standards. c. Develop and operate lifetime recreational programs that serve the broadest needs of the population recovering program and operating costs with a combination of registration fees, user fees, grants, sponsorships, donations, scholarships, volunteer efforts, and the use of general funding. d. Where appropriate, provide recreational programs, like golf and archery ranges, for those interested groups who are willing to finance the cost through user fees, registration fees, volunteer efforts or other means and methods. Professional Objectives: Develop, staff, train, and support a professional parks, recreation and arts staff that effectively serves the county in the realization of the above listed goals and objectives. a. Employee a diverse, well-trained work force that is motivated to achieve department and countywide goals. b. Encourage teamwork through communications, creativity, positive image, risk taking, sharing of resources, and cooperation toward common goals. c. Where appropriate, provide staff with education training, and modern equipment and supplies to increase personal productivity, efficiency and pride. RECREATION FACILITIES AND PROGRAM GOAL #1: COUNTY-WIDE PROGRAMS AND SERVICES: Develop limited recreation programs that utilize and support existing facilities, provide the greatest benefit and generate the highest level of self-sustaining fee revenue. Recreational Program Objectives: a. Focus on large scale programs serving the entire region. b. Emphasize programs that enhance, support and utilize our existing facilities to the highest degree possible. c. Where possible, provide passive historical and natural interpretive programs that benefit and support our existing facilities and parks. #2: RECREATIONAL FACILITIES: Maintain and improve those resources currently in the system. When financially feasible and sustainable, develop a high quality, diversified recreation system that provides for all age and interest groups. Waterfront Access and Facilities Objectives: a. Cooperate with Washington State parks and Recreation Commission, the Washington State Departments of Natural Resources, Fish & Wildlife, and other public and private agencies to acquire and preserve additional shoreline access for waterfront fishing, wading, swimming, and other related recreational activities and pursuits. 3 b. Develop a mixture of watercraft access opportunities including canoe, kayak, sailboard, and other non-power boating activities, especially on Puget Sound and Hood Canal shorelines. Athletic Facilities Objectives: a. Develop athletic facilities that meet the highest quality competitive playing standards and requirements for all age groups, skill levels, and recreational interests. b. Concentrate on field and court activities like soccer, football, baseball, basketball, tennis, and volleyball that provide for the largest number of participants. c. Develop, where appropriate, a select number of facilities that provide the highest competitive playing standard, possibly in conjunctions with Port Townsend and the Port Townsend, Chimacum, Quilcene, and Brinnon School Districts, and other public and private agencies. Indoor Facilities Objectives: a. Develop multiple use indoor county centers that provide arts and crafts, music, video, classroom instruction, meeting facilities, eating and health care, daycare, latch key, and other spaces for all age groups including preschool, youth, teens and seniors on a year- found basis. b. Maintain and expand multiple use indoor recreational centers that provide aquatic, physical conditioning, gymnasiums, recreational courts, and other athletic spaces for all age groups, skill levels, and county interests on a year-round basis. c. Support the continued development and diversification by Port Townsend, the Port Townsend, Chimacum, Quilcene, and Brinnon School Districts, and other organization of special meeting, assembly, eating, health and other county facilities that provide general support to school age populations and county at-large at elementary, middle, and high schools within the county. d. Develop and operate special indoor and outdoor cultural and performing arts facilities that enhance and expand music, dance, drama and other audience and participatory opportunities for the county-at-large. Wildlife Resources: Where financially feasible and sustainable, Incorporate unique ecological features and resources into the park system to protect threatened species, preserve habitat, and retain migration corridors that are unique and important to local wildlife. Wildlife habitat: a. Identify and conserve critical wildlife habitat including nesting sites, foraging areas, and migration corridors within or adjacent to natural areas, open spaces, and the developed urban areas. b. Preserve especially sensitive habitat sites that support threatened species and urban wildlife habitat - such as the Chimacum Creek corridor, Indian Island, Lake Leland, Quilcene River, and Oak Bay. Natural areas: a. Preserve and protect significant environmental features including unique wetlands, open spaces, woodlands, shorelines, waterfronts and other characteristics that support wildlife and reflect Jefferson resource heritage – such as the MSP&P Railroad line. b. Provide public access to environmentally sensitive areas and sites that are especially unique to the Jefferson County area - such as Gibbs and Beausite Lakes. Open spaces and preserves: Work collaboratively with public and private agencies such as the Washington State DNR, the City of Port Townsend, Jefferson County Conservation Futures 4 Program, the Jefferson Land Trust, the North Olympic Salmon Coalition and the Watershed Institute to develop a financially sustainable, high quality, diversified park system that preserves and enhances significant environmental resources and features. Open spaces: a. Partner to define and conserve a sustainable system of open space corridors or separators to provide definition between natural areas and urban land uses. (rest deleted) b. Partner to increase natural area and open space linkages within the developed areas, particularly along the MSP&P Railroad and Chimacum Creek corridors. c. Partner to preserve environmentally sensitive areas as natural area linkages and urban separators, particularly along the steep hillsides that define both sides of the Chimacum Creek Valley. Urban growth preserves and set-asides: a. When financially feasible, Cooperate with other public and private agencies, and with private landowners to set-aside land and resources necessary to provide high quality, convenient park, recreation, and open space facilities before the most suitable sites are lost to development - such as the undeveloped and sensitive lands around the Levinski and Winona Wetlands, Chimacum Creek, Quilcene and Dosewallips Rivers. b. Preserve unique environmental features or areas in future land developments and increase public use and access. Cooperate with other public and private agencies, and with private landowners to set aside unique features or areas as publicly accessible resources – such as Port Ludlow’s Timberton Trail corridor. Trail and Corridor Access Systems Objectives: Develop a high quality system of multipurpose park trails and corridors that access significant environmental features, public facilities and developed local neighborhoods and business districts. Trail systems: a. Create a comprehensive system of multipurpose off-road trails using alignments through former MSP&P Railroad, Pope Resources, WSDOT, WDNR and USFS landholdings as well as cooperating private properties where appropriate. b. Create a comprehensive system of on-road bicycle routes for commuter, recreational, and touring enthusiasts using scenic, collector, and local road rights-of-way and alignments throughout Port Townsend and Jefferson County and between Jefferson, Clallam and Kitsap Counties. c. Link residential neighborhoods to county facilities like Port Townsend, Gardiner, Quilcene, and Tri-Area County Centers, the Fairgrounds, and HJ Carroll Park, among others. d. Work with Port Townsend, Washington State parks & Recreation Commission, the Department of Natural Resources and Transportation and other appropriate parties to link and extend trails along the Puget Sound, Hood Canal, and Strait of Juan de Fuca shorelines. e. Link trails with elementary and middle schools, downtown business districts as well as other commercial and retail activity centers in Port Townsend, Chimacum, Port Hadlock, Port Ludlow, Quilcene, and Brinnon. f. Extend trails through natural area corridors like Chimacum Creek, Discovery Bay, and Salmon Creek, Quilcene and Dosewallips Rivers that will provide a high quality, diverse sampling of area environmental resources. Supporting furnishings and improvements: 5 a. Furnish trail systems with appropriate supporting trailhead improvements that include interpretive and directory signage systems, rest stops, and drinking fountains, restrooms, parking and loading areas, water and other services. b. Where appropriate, locate trailheads at or in conjunction with park sites, schools, and other county facilities to increase local area access to the trail system and reduce duplication of supporting improvements. c. Install telephones, emergency call boxes, or other means by which trail users can summon fire, emergency aid, police, and other safety and security personnel should the need arise. d. Develop trail improvements of a design and development standard that is easily to maintain and access by maintenance, security and other appropriate personnel, equipment and vehicles. Special Purpose Facilities Objectives: Develop high quality facilities that meet the interests of all segments of the county Special enterprises: a. Where appropriate and economically feasible (self-supporting), sponsor the development and operation of specialized and special interest recreational facilities like golf courses, swimming pools and aquatic centers, convention and theater facilities, and marina for these interests in the general population b. Where appropriate, initiate joint planning and operating programs with other public and private agencies to determine and provide for special activities like golf, water parks and marina, and camping on a regional basis. #3: DESIGN AND ACCESS STANDARDS: Design and develop facilities that are accessible, safe, and easy to maintain, with life cycle features that account for long-term costs and benefits. Accessibility Objectives: a. Design outdoor picnic areas, fields, courts, playgrounds, trails, parking lots, restrooms, and other active and supporting facilities to be accessible to individuals and organized groups of all physical capabilities, skill levels, age groups, income and activity interests. b. Design indoor facility spaces, activity rooms, restrooms, hallways, parking lots, and other active and supporting spaces and improvements to be accessible to individuals and organized groups of all physical capabilities, skill levels, age groups, income and activity interests. Provide recreation opportunities for all people of all abilities. Design indoor and outdoor recreation programs and facilities to be in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Have a plan in place to address existing sites for compliance and design standards for new sites. c. Design and develop facilities that are of low maintenance and high capacity design to reduce overall facility maintenance and operation requirements and costs. d. Where appropriate, use low maintenance materials, settings or other value engineering considerations that reduce care and security requirements, and retain natural conditions and experiences. Security and Safety Objectives: 6 a. Implement the provisions and requirements of the Americans Disabilities Act ADA and other design and development standards that will improve park facility safety and security features for park users, department personnel, and the public-at-large. b. Develop and implement safety standards, procedures, and programs that will provide proper training and awareness for department personnel. c. Define and enforce rules and regulations concerning park activities and operations that will protect user groups, department personnel and the general public-at-large. d. Where appropriate, use adopt-a-park programs, neighborhood park watches, park police patrols, and other innovative programs that will increase safety and security awareness and visibility. SPECIAL HISTORICAL AND CULTURAL RESOURCES/SPECIALUSE AREA GOAL #1: HISTORICAL RESOURCES: As is feasible and sustainable, develop a high quality, diversified park system that preserves significant historical opportunity areas and features. a. Identify, preserve, and enhance Jefferson County’s multicultural heritage, traditions, and cultural features including historical sites, building, artworks, views, and monuments within (gone) historical districts and park sites. b. Identify and incorporate significant historical and cultural lands, sites, artifacts, and facilities into the park system to preserve these interests and provide a balanced social experience-such as the Jefferson County Historical Museum and Rothschild House State Park, and Fort Worden State Park museum. c. Work with the Jefferson County Historical Society, Point Hudson Maritime Museum, and other cultural groups to incorporate county activities into the park and recreation programs. #2: MANMADE ENVIRONMENTS AND FEATURES: a. Incorporate interesting manmade environments, structures, activities and areas into the park system to preserve these features and provide a balanced park, recreation and open space experience-such as the MSP&P Railroad, Portage Canal, Irondale Beach Park, and other man-made improvements b. Work with property and facility owners to increase public access and utilization of these special features. #3: CULTURAL ARTS PROGRAMS AND RESOURCES: Provide high quality parks and facilities that can be utilized by existing organizations and schools in the implementation and provision of cultural programs. Program Objectives: a. When appropriate, facilitate the use of our facilities by groups such as the Jefferson County Historical Society, Northwest Maritime Center, Port Townsend Chamber of Commerce, business and service groups, schools, arts patrons, and artists that optimally utilize artistic resources and talents. b. Develop strategies that will support and assist local artists and art organizations. Where appropriate, support policies and programs that encourage or provide incentives that attract and retain artists and artworks within the county. Artworks Objectives: 7 a. When feasible and financial sustainable, acquire public art works including paintings, sculptures, exhibits and other media for indoor and outdoor display to expand resident access as appropriate to furnish public places.