Fernandina Beach considers $185,000 parks and recreation master plan to guide future growth

The total lump-sum fee is $185,000, which includes sub-consultant fees and reimbursable expenses.

The city previously completed a parks and recreation master plan in 2015, which established priorities for park improvements, recreation programming, trail connectivity and long-term capital planning. Over the past decade, several items outlined in that plan have been implemented or are underway.

• Development of the new waterfront park, expected to open this spring.

• Improvements to Central Park, including an upgraded playground.

• Expansion of facilities at the MLK Jr. Recreation Center, including work on softball fields and the Joe Velardi Field.

• Development of the Simmons Road Park nature park.

• Ongoing expansion of regional bike trail connectivity, with Nassau County completing additional phases and planning further connections toward downtown.

City officials say population growth, shifting demographics, aging facilities and evolving recreation trends make an updated plan necessary to reassess priorities.

Phase 1 is a "needs and priorities assessment" that would include:

• Review of guiding documents such as the Comprehensive Development Master Plan and Capital Improvements Program.

• A demographic analysis using U.S. Census data and population projections.

• Evaluation of existing parks and facilities using placemaking and performance criteria.

• Level-of-service benchmarking against peer communities.

• Recreation program assessment, including youth and adult offerings.

• Public engagement, including stakeholder interviews, focus groups and one in-person community meeting.

• A statistically valid survey targeting 400 responses at a 95% confidence level with a ±5% margin of error.

Phase 2 is a "Vision and Action Plan" that would focus on:

• Developing a long-range vision plan.

• Identifying potential parkland acquisition areas.

• Preparing order-of-magnitude cost estimates for proposed capital projects.

• Creating a 10-year action plan with short-, mid- and long-term priorities.

• Recommending funding strategies and level-of-service standards.

• Evaluating operations and maintenance practices.

The resolution authorizes the city manager and clerk to execute related documents upon adoption.

Here's a report card on the 2015 Master Plan - what was accomplished and what was left to be done: