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Master Plan
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Mission
The mission of the Athens Community Arts,
Parks, and Recreation Department is to provide
Athens and area residents comprehensive
programs, activities, and facilities that
encourage health, fitness, and cultural,
recreational, educational, and social
opportunities in our community.
Vision
As a regional center of excellence, we are the
premier facilitator of recreational and health
programs by providing activities and facilities
that improve the quality of life of area residents.
Through collaboration with our advisory
committee, city leadership, and an extensive
network of civic-minded partners and
organizations, we strive to include all people as
participants and volunteers in our diverse
offerings.
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Acknowledgements
Arts, Parks, and Recreation Department
Rich Campitelli, Director Andrew Chiki, Assistant Director
Athens City Arts, Parks, and Recreation Advisory Commission
Ric Abel, Chair Barbara Fiocchi Bill Walker Nick Claussen Paige Alost James Petrik
Athens City Mayor
Paul Wiehl
Athens City Council
Jim Sands, President Kent Butler, Chair, City and Safety Services Committee Chris Fahl, Vice Chair, City and Safety Services Committee Steve Patterson, Member, City and Safety Services Committee Chris Knisely Michele Papai Jeff Risner Jennifer Cochran
Athens City Service Safety Director
Paula Horan Moseley
Planner
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Table of Contents
Section One: Introduction
Section Two: Arts, Parks, and Recreation Inventory
Athens City Arts, Parks, and Recreation Facilities Community Recreation Options
Section Three: Basis for Master Plan
Planning and Public Input Process Parks and Trails Analysis Facilities Analysis Membership and Programming Analysis
Section Four: Master Plan Recommendations
Goals and Objectives System Wide Recommendations Facility Specific Recommendations Capital Improvement Priorities
Section Five: Maps
Map 1: Athens Area Parks and Recreation Locations Map 2: Community Center and East State Street Park Area Map 3: West State Street Park Map 4: Southside and Dairy Lane Parks Map 5: Sells Park and Strouds Run Trail Network Map 6: Highland Park Map 7: Gawande Preserve and Dowler Park
Appendix
Ohio University COMS 832Athens Community Arts, Parks, and Recreation 2012 Project Constant Contact Online Survey Report Constant Contact Online Survey Comments
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Section One:
Introduction
Athens area citizens have long held arts, parks, and recreation in high regard. With the many layers of national, state, and local recreation options in our community we are fortunate to have such an abundance of recreational options. The City of Athens plays a prominent role in the recreational lives of its citizens. Surveys have shown that the services provided through the Arts, Parks, and Recreation Department collectively sum up to a high quality of life for our citizens.
The City of Athens Arts, Parks, and Recreation department manages many of the aspects of everyday life that make Athens a great place to live, work, and play. The department provides services that range from woody trails for day hikers and mountain bikers, to community and
professional theatre performances and live music at Arts/West, to fitness classes and facilities at the Athens Community Center, a world class concrete skate park, recreational sports leagues for all ages, and day care and summer camps for our kids. An Athenian could spend an entire day exploring Athens and enjoy a full spectrum of nature, exercise, sports, and performance and never leave the facilities and
lands managed by Arts, Parks, and Recreation.
Just as the department is a key component of our everyday lives, so too is the
community a critical partner in the success of Arts, Parks, and Recreation. Our residents are passionate about enhancing our parks and open spaces and have been generous financial supporters to allow the facilities and programming to continue to expand. Over the next several years, this plan is intended to assist the city’s elected officials, Arts, Parks, and Recreation administration, and the Arts, Parks, and Recreation Advisory Board in making decisions on long term facilities management, programming, funding, and capital improvements.
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Section Two:
Arts, Parks, and Recreation Inventory
Athens County is rich with recreational options. The combination of federal, state, and local options that are present in Athens County provides opportunities to Athens residents that are uncommon in many other areas of the state and region. In order to understand the local landscape with respect to arts, parks, and recreation at the city level it is useful to understand the options that are available from other providers as well.Athens City Arts, Parks, and Recreation Facilities
Southside and Dairy Lane Parks
Southside Park is located at the corner of Richland Avenue and Dairy Lane and is adjacent to
recreational options at The Ridges at Ohio University. The park includes a covered pavilion shelter for parties, corn hole sets, a ball field with spectator stands, basketball court, volleyball court, picnic tables and grills, a children’s playground, and restrooms. Additionally, the park is home to Putt People First, a miniature golf course collaborative between the city and local non-profit organizations, HAVAR and the Athens Area Mediation Service.
West State Street Park
West State Street Park is located at the far west end of West State Street. The park offers numerous ball fields and hosts the Athens Sandlot League and adult recreation softball league. The park also provides a party pavilion, dog park, playground, ROTC training area, and community gardens. Next to the park is the Ohio University golf driving range. West State Street Park provides access to the HockHocking Adena Bike Path as well. Due to the many services provided at West State Street Park it serves a regional user base.
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Highland Park
Located on Highland Avenue on the Athens north side, Highland is the smallest park in the city’s system. Highland Park is used mostly by neighborhood residents. Portions of the park sit on a concrete city water reservoir. The park offers a small playground, pavilion, a non-regulation height basketball hoop, and a non-regulation ball diamond.
Sells Park, Hawk Woods Preserve, and Hope Drive Preserve
These parks in combination are generally referred to as Sells Park. In aggregate these areas combine for approximately 240 acres of
undeveloped green pace. Sells Park is located at the north end of Avon Place on the Athens east side and stretches to the east along the hillside to Hope Drive. The lands are wooded with hiking and mountain biking trails. At the base of the park is the tranquil Sells Pond. The stocked pond is home
to many small fish and has benches around it for relaxing. Sells Park’s most popular feature is the extensive network of hiking and mountain biking trails which connect with the trail system at Strouds Run State Park. Most trail maintenance is handled by
volunteer groups.
Arts/West
Arts/West’s mission is to provide facilities, resources, and opportunities to arts organizations, individual artists, and community residents. The facility, located at 132 West State Street in Athens, has a theater with stage, lighting rig, and sound board. The theater can hold
performances with seating for up to 160 people. Arts/West basement area provides meeting and classroom spaces. Arts/West is used by 6 theater companies, a music education group, several choirs, arts-enrichment summer camps, a day care, a local independent musicians network, and individual artists. Art and yoga classes are offered each season. In August 2013 upgrades were made to the main area of Arts/West to make it more versatile and functional. Improvements include new lighting, wood floors, relocated sound booth, movable seating, and art gallery installments.
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Athens Community Center, East State Street Park, and Athens City Pool
Opened in October 2000 on the site of the former Ohio University Airport, the Athens Community Center has quickly become one of the key public facilities in Athens. The Community Center serves a wide range of our community from children’s day care center to high school recreation leagues, to senior center and
everyone in between. The facility hosts a workout room that includes treadmills, free weights, stationary
bicycles, two full basketball courts, a three lane walking/running track, a fitness classroom, a conference room, and three multi-purpose rooms suitable for public meetings, receptions, trainings, and trade shows. The exterior grounds includes benches and tables, a children’s playground, the Rotary Club sponsored Passion Works fountain, and a solar panel car port installation that generates electricity for the center.
East State Street Park, the park areas adjacent to the Community Center offers even more recreational choices to our citizens. The park includes two tennis courts, a roller hockey rink, three basketball courts, a sand volleyball court, picnic areas, a pavilion shelter, a master garden, a community garden, a dog park, a skate park, and access to the HockHocking Adena Bike Path.
The City Pool was built in 1972 and is located to the
immediate west of the Community Center at 701 East State Street. The pool is generally open starting around Memorial Day weekend and closes in August when Athens City Schools begin a new school year. The pool grounds includes the large pool with competition lanes, a separate wading pool for younger children, changing rooms, a concession stand, and green areas with umbrellas and mature shade trees.
East State Street Soccer Fields
The soccer fields are located in the floodplain on East State Street by Wal-Mart and the bike path. The fields are on land owned by the Hocking Conservancy and managed by the Arts, Parks, and Recreation department. The fields can be set up to accommodate 4 large fields for adult leagues or up to 6 youth sized fields. The fields are used for youth
9 | P a g e and adult soccer leagues as well as pick-up matches. Parking for the facility is provided by the adjacent shopping center and restrooms are available just off the bike path.
Gawande Preserve and Dowler Park
The Gawande Preserve is a 5 acre parcel off of Cardiff Lane on the south side of Athens. The acreage was generously donated to the city in 2011 by the Gawande family of Athens and is deed restricted as a nature preserve and recreation space. The recently acquired (2013) 17 acre Dowler Park is adjacent to the Gawande Preserve. The Dowler Park property was purchased at a significant discount from the Dowler family which also included family donations towards the purchase. The stated goal for these parcels is to connect with other adjacent tracts and Camp Rotan to create a south side hiking and recreation area similar to Sells Park on the city’s far east side.
Community Recreation Options
Wayne National Forest
The Wayne National Forest is a patchwork of land managed by the United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service in Athens, Vinton, Perry, Washington, Scioto, and Monroe Counties in Southeast Ohio. The Wayne covers over a quarter million acres of land throughout those counties. The Wayne offers miles of hiking, ORV, mountain biking, and horseback riding trails within close proximity to Athens. The Wayne lands in Athens County are concentrated in the northern areas of the county in York and Trimble Townships. There
are trailheads off US 33 at the park forest headquarters about 7 miles west of Athens.
Strouds Run State Park
Strouds Run State Park includes over 2600 acres of hardwood forest and Dow Lake. The park offers Athens residents a variety of outdoors activities including camping, fishing, hunting, canoeing, swimming, hiking, mountain biking, and horseback riding. Strouds Run is connected to the city’s Sells Park and is easily accessed by hiking trails as well as by car and bicycle from Strouds Run Road and US 50/East State Street at Dow Lake Dam. Strouds Run is managed by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources. Together, Strouds Run and Sells Park offer a seamless trail network along the northern ridge of the city that runs parallel with East State Street.
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Zaleski and Waterloo State Forests
Zaleski and Waterloo State Forests are located in remote areas of western Athens County and eastern Vinton County about 10 miles from Athens. At over 28,000 acres it is the second largest state forest in Ohio. Zaleski offers miles of backpacking trails, bridle trails, and Native American mounds and is home to the Moonville King Swich Tunnel and an emerging rail trail that could connect to the HockHocking Adena bikepath in the future. Immediately adjacent to the Zaleski in Waterloo Township, Athens County is the Waterloo Wildlife Research Station. The station is
almost 3000 acres and offers short trails on mostly unmaintained fire roads. Both of these forests are managed by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources. Additionally, there are other smaller state forests including Desonier Nature Preserve, and Fox Lake Wildlife Area in the Athens area.
Athens Conservancy
The Athens Conservancy is a local nonprofit land trust that works to acquire open
space lands in Athens County. The conservancy has successfully acquired 100s of acres of land near the city of Athens and around Strouds Run State Park including the Baker, Bean, and Tucker Run tracts. These lands provide additional natural area buffers to preserve and protect local forests. The conservancy also works in conjunction with local governments in grant writing and support funds for additional acquisitions. The
conservancy works with local private forest owners to create conservation easements to reduce a land holder’s tax burden while increasing conserved land. The
conservancy has been a key partner in expanding permanent open space options throughout Athens County. As a nonprofit, the conservancy is governed by a board of directors. There are no paid employees.
Ohio University
Ohio University offers a wealth of recreational activities for Athens residents. Among its many facilities are the Ping Center, the Aquatic Center, a 9-hole golf course, intercollegiate athletic playing and training facilities and fields, hiking trails at The Ridges, basketball courts, Frisbee golf, tennis courts, archery, and passive recreation fields suitable for soccer, rugby, ultimate Frisbee, softball, and baseball. Ohio University also offers public parks such as
King Switch Tunnel
Source: www.railstotrails.org
OU Golf Course
11 | P a g e College Green on central campus and Emeriti Park between Baker Center and Bird Arena. College Green is a historic location and has been the site of many large community gatherings. Ohio University is also a partner in the success of the
HockHocking Adena Bike Path and maintains a long stretch of the path through the heart of campus and the city along the Hocking River.
HockHocking Adena Bikeway
The ever expanding HockHocking Adena Bikeway stretches from Nelsonville to Athens and connects Hocking College and Ohio University. The path offers over 21 miles of paved path that is open to bicyclists, rollerbladers,
walkers, and joggers. There are numerous connectors and spurs that make access to the path easy for Athens residents in most parts of the city. The path is managed by the jurisdictions through which it passes including the city of
Nelsonville, Athens County, Ohio University and the City of Athens. There are long term goals and plans for the Bikeway to continue expanding
southeastward though Athens County to ultimately
connect with the Ohio River at Parkersburg, WV. Additional plans are to extend a rail trail west towards Vinton County following the old Moonville Rail line through Zaleski State Forest.
Athens County
Small parks and recreational facilities are scattered through Athens County. Nelsonville has a large city pool among its facilities and most villages and townships offer a public park with playgrounds and picnic pavilions. The local public schools also provide numerous playgrounds and basketball courts. West and East Elementary schools and Athens Middle School all offer playgrounds and basketball courts within the city of Athens. Athens County maintains three public parks including New Marshfield, Sugar Creek, and Ferndale Parks that each provides areas for sports and picnicking.
Camp Rotan
Camp Rotan is a14 acre area on Longview Heights Road on the south side of Athens. The camp is owned and managed by the Athens Noon Rotary Club and volunteers. The camp has a rustic cabin and camp sites used by local Girl Scout and Boy Scout Troops. The acreage has trails that are used by locals as well. The Rotary Club has expressed interest in working with the city to create a larger trail network in that area and other recreational activities in connection with the Gawande Preserve and Dowler Park.
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Section Three:
Basis for Master Plan
The previous plan for the Arts, Parks, and Recreation Department was completed in 2007 and had a 5 year planning outlook. The 2007 plan was a strategic plan, done as an internal document to guide the department with respect to needs, budgets, and goals. While reviewing the 2007 strategic plan in late 2011 it was evident that many of the goals of that plan have been fulfilled and a new plan was needed.For this plan, the city administration wanted to take a more comprehensive snapshot of the community’s attitude with respect to Arts, Parks, and Recreation as well as begin the process of assessing large scale capital improvements.
In order to gauge public sentiment for the plan the city worked with a graduate level class at Ohio University’s Scripps College of Communications. Led by Dr. Anita James, the class organized a public open house and held stakeholder interviews with city elected officials, city board and commission chairs, members of the Arts, Parks, and Recreation advisory board, as well as some citizens. The class also performed a mail survey using a random sampling of city utility billing addresses. This process was able to gather input from over 200 people in the Athens community. Information from this project will inform the recommendations section of this comprehensive plan. Please refer to part 1 of the appendix for the results of this process.
Due to a lower than expected rate of return on the mail surveys from the Scripps
project, the city issued an additional online survey to the public to get more insight into the community’s attitudes towards APR. Over 100 people completed the Constant Contact online survey. It is important to note that an online survey of this sort is not scientific in nature because random sampling cannot be guaranteed. The findings from that survey were in line with the findings from the mail survey. Additionally, the online survey was quite helpful in providing additional comments, suggestions, and ideas for programming and improvements. The results of this survey can be found in parts 2 and 3 of the appendix.
Park Land Analysis and Service Areas
Additional steps are needed to help determine the amount and quality of facilities available in Athens. The National Recreation and Park Association provides minimum standards for the types and amounts of recreation facilities, parks, and open spaces based on a community’s population service area. Although Arts, Parks, and Recreation serves a wider community then the residents of the city, we will use the city’s 2010
13 | P a g e Census data to compare our facilities to the national standards due to the fact that the department is funded through the city’s budget and all grant applications require using the city’s population. We will also only be considering city facilities in this analysis. As noted in the Section 2 there are many options provided in Athens by other providers such as Ohio University and Athens Public Schools. The following table uses NRPA standards to evaluate parkland in the City of Athens.
Park Classifica-tions NRPA Guideline Minimum Acres1 Recommend-ed Acreage in Athens2 Athens Public Parks Public Region-al Parks OU Park Areas Athen s Total Surplus (Deficien-cy) Mini/ Neighbor-hood Parks 1.25 to 2.50 30 to 59.5 30 * 22 52 (7.5) Commun-ity Parks 5 to 8 119 to 191 75 * 111 181 (5) Subtotal * 149 to 250 100 0 133 233 (17) Regional Parks 5 to 10 119 to 238 319 2669 540 3528 +3290 Total * 268 to 488 419 2669 673 3761 +3273
Using NRPA guidelines, these types of parks are classified based on their general service areas. Pocket/neighborhood parks serve a 0.25 – 0.5 mile area, community parks serve 0.5 to 3 miles, and regional parks typically blanket areas within a 30 minute drive. As one can see with the total in the above chart, there is an abundance of park land access in the Athens area. However, it is important to take a deeper dive into these numbers and the location of the parks. The majority of the acreage in these
calculations comes from Strouds Run State Park which is adjacent to Sells Park and is easily accessible from the city. If we remove Strouds Run from the formula we have 859 acres of parks and open space between the City and University. This is still a net surplus of 371 acres.
The mini/neighborhood parks include the Ohio University greens near the on-campus housing areas. Those greens function as neighborhood parks for those residents and employees and are important aspects of on-campus living. College Green was
classified as a community park due to the many public uses and events that take place there as well the many uptown workers who visit there during the day. Within the central city areas there are no neighborhood parks to speak of besides Highland Park on the north side. The community center and its park areas were grouped as community parks,
1 Per 1000 residents
14 | P a g e but due to its location it serves as a neighborhood park to the far east side residential area and parts of the near east side due to its proximity to the bike path. South Side Park is heavily used by south side residents but due to the suburban nature of the neighborhood most neighborhood users drive there. Many west siders use West State Street Park, community gardens, and dog park as well.
The analysis and surveys show that Athens existing park land service area generally meets most residents’ needs for open space. However, surveys and analysis also show that there are areas of the city where neighborhood pocket parks are desired and would be utilized. Additionally, access to more open space is generally desired by many Athenians and efforts to create more open space are ongoing and have diverse community support. Recent moves have been made on the south side of Athens with the acquisition of the Gawande and Dowler lands. Additional tracts should be pursued to connect those lands to Camp Rotan for trails and natural areas.
Facilities Analysis
Existing and potential facilities were analyzed as well as the park lands. Facilities were evaluated using the National Recreation and Park Association guidelines. The standards inventory accounts only use, but not quality or location. Besides facilities that are
provided by the city’s Arts, Parks, and Recreation Department, there is additional access available through facilities provided by Ohio University and Athens Public
Schools. The NRPA guidelines have not been updated in some time and may not reflect changes in popularity in certain sports and recreational activities through time. As mentioned in previous areas, the Athens Arts, Parks, and Recreation Department offers a wealth of facilities and opportunities that are not included in the NRPA facilities analysis.
15 | P a g e Facility GuidelinesNRPA 3
(per 1000 population) Recommended Facilities for Athens Based on Population4 Athens City Facilities Other Facilities in City Athens
Totals (Deficiency) Surplus
Tennis 1/2000 12 4 65 10 (2) Playground 1/3000 8 6 26 8 0 Baseball/Soft-ball 1/5000 5 11 4 15 10 Basketball 1/5000 5 8 8 16 11 Volleyball 1/5000 5 2 2 4 (1) Soccer 1/10000 2 4 4 8 6 Football 1/20000 1 0 27 2 1 Running Track 1/20000 1 0 28 2 1 Swimming Pool 1/20000 1 1 1 2 1 9-hole Golf Course 1/25000 1 0 1 1 0 18-hole Golf Course 1/25000 1 0 0 0 (1) Ice Rink 1/100000 0 0 1 1 1
Athletic Fields (Baseball/Softball, Soccer, Football, Running Tracks, and Multi-Purpose fields)
Based on the NRPA guidelines there is an across the board surplus in athletic fields in Athens. Baseball/softball and soccer fields are the two primary uses in this category.
Baseball/Softball Fields—the analysis of ball fields reveals a large surplus in these facilities. Due to the Athens Sandlot youth baseball and softball leagues using the fields at West State Street those fields are heavily used in spring and summer. The Athens adult softball league also uses two fields at West for its summer
season. To better utilize available land, it is recommended that the softball field
3 Source of Standard: Lancaster, Roger A., Ed. 1983. Recreation, Park, and Open Space
Standards and Guidelines. Alexandria, VA: NRPA
Mertes, J.D. and J.R. Hall. 1995. Park, Recreation, Open Space and Greenway Guidelines. Alexandria, VA: NRPA
4 Athens City 2010 Census Population is 23,832. Figures are rounded to nearest whole number. 5 OU tennis facility available to students and employees. University students are included in
Census population
6 East and West Elementary schools
7 Peden Stadium and practice field are not open to public. Local schools play at Athens High
School in The Plains. City and university both offer open fields suitable for flag and touch football.
8 University track oval is open to public when not in use. Athens Middle School also has an
16 | P a g e at Dairy Lane be eliminated and all city baseball/softball activities be
concentrated to West State Street Park. Ohio University also has NCAA regulation baseball and softball fields for their teams and provides intramural fields at the Mill Street fields.
Soccer Fields—based on the NRPA analysis, there is a surplus of available soccer fields between city and OU lands. Some of the OU sites serve as multi-purpose fields for general athletics as well—ultimate Frisbee, football, lacrosse, etc. The city’s soccer facilities are concentrated off East State Street to the south of Wal-Mart. The site can be utilized for up to 4 large soccer pitches for adult matches or converted to 6 small youth fields. The location has limited potential for major upgrades because it is located in a FEMA regulated floodway and the periodic flooding of the fields can make usage difficult at times. Survey feedback for this plan resulted in many comments that the current location is not sustainable.
Football fields—organized local school football demand is met by the Athens High School facilities. Ohio University has an NCAA regulation field and multiple practice fields that are also used for intramural sports. There is no anticipated need to provide more football facilities by the city.
Running Tracks—running tracks are provided by Ohio University as well as the Athens public school district. There is no anticipated need to provide more such facilities by the city.
Swimming Pool—based on the NRPA analysis the Athens community is served well with respect to the number of public swimming pools. However, the city’s pool has eclipsed its rated life by almost 12 years and is expensive to maintain and upgrade. A more detailed evaluation of the pool and the potential for a replacement needs to be
addressed. The Ohio University Aquatic Center is also available year round to the public for a daily or annual membership fee.
9-hole golf—within the city Ohio University offers a 9-hole golf course that is open to the public on a daily, seasonal basis. Athens Country Club and The Elms golf course also offer 9-hole courses for local golfers. No additional 9-hole golf courses are needed.
18-hole golf—there is no 18-hole golf course in Athens County. An 18-hole public course has been planned for the University Estates development on the west side of Athens. At this time the golf course development appears in limbo. No additional 18-hole courses are anticipated.
Ice Rink—Ohio University’s Bird Arena is the local hub ice rink. It is the home ice for the university hockey team and the Athens Youth Hockey Association. The rink is frequently open to the public for recreational skating in fall and winter. The rink also serves as the home rink for the Appalachian Hell Betties roller derby team in the summer.
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Court Sports (Basketball, Tennis, Volleyball)
Bases on the NRPA guidelines, the Athens community has a surplus in basketball courts and a deficiency in tennis and volleyball courts.
Tennis Courts--The majority of available courts are offered by Ohio University. The four courts on the Community Center grounds need some improvements to address standing water and flood issues. Locations for additional courts or relocating the current courts should be considered.
Basketball Courts—there is a surplus of basketball courts available in Athens due to a combination of courts available from the city, university, and local schools. The court at Highland Park is underutilized and a regulation hoop should be considered at that location or removed entirely. The court at Dairy Lane also could use some general updating. An additional court could be added at West State Street Park as well.
Volleyball Courts—an additional court could be added at West State Street Park to address the deficiency from NRPA standards. The sand courts at East State Street also need some maintenance attention.
Playgrounds—the amount of playgrounds facilities is on track with NRPA guidelines. Recent improvements have been made to the heavily used South Side Park
playground for ADA accessibility. This movement towards accessibility should continue with all new playgrounds and updates to current ones.
Passive Recreation—in addition to the many and myriad active recreational facilities provided throughout the city of Athens it is imperative to offer opportunities for un-programmed activities. Such activities might include walking, jogging, bird watching, or reading a book. When developing and improving our parks it is important to
incorporate walking paths, picnic areas, benches, tables, and other amenities that will further enhance passive recreation opportunities and expand usage and access of our parks.
Membership and Programing Analysis
Membership
The Arts, Parks, and Recreation department offers community memberships for the Community Center and Arts/West. Community Center members receive access and use of facilities, discounts on fitness classes, and access to community center event spaces. Arts West membership includes free access to Arts/West Presents events, discounted tickets to all other events and class fees. It is also recommended that the department set a goal for membership numbers and begin a drive to achieve them.
18 | P a g e For purposes of this plan, the past three years were evaluated for membership numbers. Recent trends with memberships show fluctuations, as evidenced in the charts below.
Athens Community Center Membership Trends: 6 Month Memberships 2010 2011 2012 Adult 82 33 31 Household 12 15 6 Senior 3 3 7 Teen 3 1 1 Youth 0 0 0 Annual Memberships Adult 225 146 136 Adult Business 53 18 8 Household Business 36 24 11 Household City 18 27 19 Household 254 393 374 Individual City 23 15 11 Punch Card 580 439 400 Sheriff's Department 6 11 12 Senior 126 35 43 Teen 10 10 12 Walking Pass 33 42 24 Youth 3 2 6
County Wellness N/A N/A 132 Retired Military N/A N/A 32 Veterans Association N/A N/A 78
19 | P a g e Arts West membership numbers have also been in flux over the last several years as well.
Arts/West Memberships 2009 79 2010 9 2011 45 2012 94 2013 42
Stabilization of the membership base for both the Community Center and Arts/West is needed. Opportunities to expand and retain members need to be considered. Many survey respondents commented that they were unaware of Arts/West in general terms, and others said they were unaware of a membership option. One option may be to offer a combined membership at a slightly higher price that gives the member access to both the Community Center and Arts West.
Programming
The programs offered by Arts, Parks, and Recreation are in general terms heavily used and very popular. The APR staff frequently surveys programming users in order to better tune their offerings to meet demand. Survey feedback for this plan suggests that program users are generally satisfied with the mix of programs and classes that are offered.
Programming is restricted by available space and time and there are constraints on the amount of programming that can be offered in current facilities. The two primary
facilities—the Athens Community Center and Arts West—are typically in use by programming participants any time that the facilities are open.
Some general comments and trends on programming:
Offerings are constrained by available staffing, instructors, space, and time
Concurrent events and programming at the Community Center and parks compete for resources such as staffing and parking
Survey respondents and staffers alike desire to be able to use an online registration, room reservation, and payment processing system to make the registration process more efficient
Changes in demographics may require consideration of alternative programming to meet the needs of an aging population
The city and university are interconnected in many ways. Any changes to recreational use access and options on campus can impact demand on the city and vice versa.
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Athens is a diverse international community and is home to people from all corners of the globe. Consideration of the needs of those populations should be explored in more depth (is there unrecognized demand for cricket, badminton, table tennis, or hurling for example?).
Fitness Area Programs, Classes, and Special Projects:
2010 2011 2012
Classes Offered: 105 95 96
Fitness Class Participants: 1483 1484 1333 Fitness Class Income: $82,252.50 $79,783.50 $73,552.50 Silver Sneakers Participants: 220 439 540 Silver Sneakers Income: $5,092.00 $27,055 $42,408 Athens Takes It Off
Participants: 755 622 204
Athens Takes It Off
Memberships9: 65 18 31
Class offerings and participants have remained more or less steady and are expected to continue on that trajectory based on space availability at the Community Center. The Silver Sneakers program is on a growth trend and has been a huge success for the department. Over 700 Silver Sneakers members are expected in 2013. Athens Takes It Off will be retired in 2014 due to a declining interest in participation. The early success of this program demonstrates a shift in public interest in wellbeing and healthy lifestyle programs though.
Events Attendance Events Attendance
Arts/West: 2010 2010 2011 2011
Arts West Presents
Events* 804 10452 518 3149
Rental Activities 180 6480 320 5275
Total: 984 16942 838 8424
*Includes music, dance, theater, film, literary, rehearsals, arts education, and fundraising events # Data for 2012 was unavailable but is assumed to be on par with 2011 statistics
Arts/West appears to be helping to fill demand in the Athens community for arts based programming. Space improvements that were completed in August 2013 should provide an opportunity to further refine the programming and space needs at
Arts/West and provide a more flexible place for live performance and arts installations
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Sports League Programs 2010 2011 2012
Winter Youth Basketball 208 198 141
Spring Adult Soccer 17 Teams 0 0
Spring Youth Soccer 403 284 224
Summer Youth
Softball/Baseball 174 174 88
Summer Adult Softball 16 Teams 17 Teams 18 teams
Fall Adult Softball 0 Teams 0 Teams 5 teams
Fall Adult Volleyball 6 Teams 6 Teams 0
Fall Youth Soccer 420 255 250
Some sports organized by Arts, Parks, and Recreation are waning in interest over the last several years due to the advent of privately organized leagues such as Athens Sandlot baseball and softball, Upward Bound basketball, and the Greater Athens Soccer Association. These organizations are volunteer based and rely on city parks infrastructure to succeed.
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Section Four:
Master Plan
Recommendations
Through the comprehensive planning process of studying current trends, open houses, stakeholder discussions, surveys, and advisory board stewardship the Athens community has established a framework to move forward with a series of recommendations for improvements and enhancements to the City of Athens Arts, Parks, and Recreation system. This framework is intended to guide the decision makers as they consider options for improving current facilities and developing new ones, evaluateprogramming, and address budget issues. It is the intent of these recommendations to help guide that process and ensure that decisions are made based on the interests of the community as a whole.
Goals and Objectives
Goals and objectives for this plan were created based on the mission and vision statements of the Athens Arts, Parks, and Recreation Department (see page 2 of this document), and the input and surveys received through this planning as well as through the guidance and stewardship of the Arts, Parks, and Recreation advisory board.
Goal #1 Provide Arts, Parks and Recreation facilities that are high
quality, well-maintained, and reflect the history and culture of Athens
Athens residents expect high quality, attractive, and clean facilities that will add to their quality of life. Athens is a unique place, a university community in the Appalachian hills. Our history is rich and vivid and cherished.
Objectives:
Develop and review maintenance plans for all structures, parks, playgrounds etc.
Conduct a needs assessment for a new public swimming pool.
Analyze and improve universal accessibility at all Arts, Parks, and Recreation facilities in collaboration with the city’s disabilities commission
A detailed space and facilities analysis needs to be conducted at Arts/West for improvements.
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Determine if East State Street Park facilities can be reorganized to create room for a new swimming pool and pavilion area.
Use local history and cultural elements in new facility design and improvements.
Maintain and update park equipment and facilities including playground equipment, hard pavement surfaces, and landscaping as needed.
Develop standardized park design for all Athens park areas including signage, lighting, benches, and waste and recycling receptacles.
Collaborate with the city’s historic preservation commission and Athens County Historical Society to create a series of historic markers on park grounds and trails.
Collaborate with the Athens Municipal Arts Commission for recommendations on public art installations at all Arts, Parks, and Recreation facilities.
Staffing costs and needs must be a component of any new capital project evaluation or study.
Goal #2 Maintain and expand open space lands and provide
passive recreation spaces on all park grounds
Objectives:
Provide trail options that have universal accessibility.
Continue with land acquisition and start trail building for Gawande, Dowler, and Camp Rotan area on South side.
Improve accessibility to Sells Pond, add benches to pond area, and do annual pond cleanup and stocking.
Improve trail signage and information kiosk at Sells Park.
Maintain and build trails that are to the standards provided in the USDA Trail Construction and Maintenance Notebook 2007 Edition or later version.
Goal #3 Provide opportunities that promote and encourage active
lifestyles
A healthy community is one with a high quality of life. The Arts, Parks, and Recreation Department plays an enormous role in the general health and wellbeing of the community.
Objectives:
Continue to work with local businesses to offer company based memberships for fitness access to the Community Center.
Consider options to offer a combined Community Center/Arts West membership card.
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Continue working with other Athens County agencies and organizations to expand trail and bike path connections.
Explore wellness campaigns for city employees.
Keep the city pool open for later hours during heat advisories.
Build outdoor exercise stations that link to the bike path to create a complete outdoor fitness opportunity.
Goal #4 Provide programming and facilities that meet the needs and
interests of the entire population
Contributors and commenters at the open house, stakeholder interviews, and surveys all indicated that recreational outlets and activities rank high in contributing to their quality of life. Providing well balanced activity choices along with flexible space is important.
Objectives:
Study the need for a multi-use outdoor community meeting and gathering area that serves as a venue for concerts, festivals, art classes and exhibits, and other cultural programming.
Pursue opportunities to create pocket parks within residential neighborhoods
Create new activities that go beyond traditional team sports that include education and wellness components, outdoor adventure recreation, geocaching, and training/self-improvement courses.
Provide additional environmental oriented programs in partnership with the city’s Environment and Sustainability Commission.
Expand the amount and type of classes at Arts/West to include music, paint, photography, etc.
Increase the amount and variety of programs offered for all age groups, especially seniors and youth.
Land use changes should be considered based on demand for recreational options such as soccer.
Explore the possibility of collaborating with Ohio University to move soccer fields to driving range field at West State Street.
Consider adding basketball courts or tennis courts to West State Street Park.
Consider moving East State Street Park tennis courts to area near East State Dog Park in order to provide space for a new pool or pavilion.
Goal #5 Use existing resources efficiently and sustainably
Budgets are generally shrinking for local governments and Athens is not exempt from this. Government agencies are expected to “do more with less.” The Arts, Parks, and Recreation Department, along with all government services, must evaluate and
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Objectives:
Any funding for new facilities must also include funding for appropriate staffing and maintenance.
The Athens County Comprehensive Plan recommends exploring concepts for a Parks District to manage some public lands and parks throughout the region. Arts, Parks, and Recreation should be a partner in exploring this option if there can be shared services or cost savings.
Continue efforts with local organizations—such as the Athens Conservancy and Rotary Club—and private property owners for opportunities for open space preservation particularly on Athens south side and along the Hocking River valley and hillsides.
Continue efforts with other partners for the Hockhocking Adena Bike Path and consider additional strategies to partner for maintenance of the path
Recruit civic and business organizations for assistance with park improvement projects.
Consider forming non-profit endowments such as “Friends of Arts West”, “Friends of the Pool”, or “Friends of Athens Trails” to assist with development and grant writing for facilities.
Goal #6 Continue to provide efficient administration of the Arts,
Parks, and Recreation Department
Our citizens expect public services that are efficient, high quality, and responsive to their needs.
Objectives:
The Arts, Parks, and Recreation website needs to be a dynamic site that provides clear information on events, programming, closures, and ongoing projects.
On-line room registrations, class registrations, league registrations, special events and fee payment options must be provided.
Work with the GoBus team to minimize the time required by APR staff to address bus ticket information and sales.
Expand marketing efforts through website, social media, and traditional media to expand user base and event attendance.
Continually survey users for issues with facilities and programming.
Review this master plan annually to establish priorities and responsibilities with the Arts, Parks, and Recreation Advisory Board.
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Create a part time events coordinator position to help develop special events. This position could be expanded to include general events planning for the city.
System Wide Recommendations
In addition to capital investments into the Arts, Parks, and Recreation system, the department must also provide time, resources, and additional efforts to successfully maintain the high quality of the system as a whole. In order to do this, the following items are system recommendations that should be coordinated annually with input from the department, administration, and advisory board as well as other city boards and stakeholders as needed.
Barrier Free Accessibility. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) has created guidelines to provide barrier free accessibility at public facilities. These guidelines are updated on a somewhat regular basis and it is important to stay current with the ADA law. It is crucial to provide ADA access to Athens facilities according to the guidelines with input from the city’s Disabilities Commission so that all residents can enjoy our facilities. As parks and other facilities are improved or developed a high priority must be placed on upgrades that improve barrier free accessibility with improvements to proper surfaces for wheelchairs, accessible picnic tables, and play equipment that provides universal access. The recently completed upgrades to South Side park in partnership between the city and Rotary Club is a great example of this.
Park Design Improvements. As our system evolves, expands, and undergoes
improvements it is important to clearly mark entrances and visually unify the sites for consistency and branding. This can be achieved by working with local graphic designers to create a series of uniform design themes that symbolize Athens and are incorporated into the design of signage, benches, bike racks, waste and recycling receptacles, and other amenities.
Pathways Connections. The Athens Arts, Parks, and Recreation Department as well as many other people in the city administration have long been committed to the
development of pathways in the city and throughout the region. This plan encourages decision makers to continue the partnerships that have been forged that seek
opportunities for planning, land acquisition, access easements, grant funding, and trail development.
Natural Resources Inventory. As opportunities become available the city of Athens administration and Arts, Parks, and Recreation Department in conjunction with local organizations such as the Athens Conservancy should analyze any critical areas in the community through inventories and appropriate studies. This information is critical to prioritizing resources for acquisition, protection, and management of natural areas.
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Recreation Programming. The Athens Arts, Parks, and Recreation Department is only one thread in the fabric of recreation resources in the Athens area. Wayne National Forest, Strouds Run State Park, Ohio University, volunteer youth sports organizations, private businesses, and other groups offer land, services, leagues, and programs. The Arts, Parks, and Recreation Department should partner with these groups when appropriate.
Marketing. The Arts, Parks, and Recreation Department needs to use creative methods to increase awareness about services and programming that are available to the public. Many survey respondents weren’t even aware of what Arts/West is, let alone what programs they offer. Marketing and promotions through the use of email, social media, and traditional media as well as by forming partnerships with other similar organizations will increase memberships, awareness, and support for the system.
Public Involvement. The Arts, Parks, and Recreation Department should continue to solicit Athens residents for suggestions on use, improvements, programming, and planning of facilities and parks. This should be accomplished though social media, focus meetings, an annual town hall style meeting, and surveys.
Partnerships. The Arts, Parks, and Recreation Department will continue to establish and foster partnerships throughout the community. Continued partnerships and
collaborations with Ohio University Campus Recreation, Greater Athens Soccer Association, Athens Sandlot Youth Baseball League, Athens Area Mediation Services (Putt People First), and service organizations such as Rotary, Lions, Civitan, and Kiwanis are beneficial to all and expanded partnerships will help make the department even more interwoven with our community. Additionally the department can work with Athens Foundation, O’Bleness, and Osteopathic Heritage to help with collaborative funding for larger projects.
Public Arts. A recent study commissioned by the Athens Municipal Arts Commission revealed that arts in Athens County are a significant economic engine. Public art installations can be added to all city parks and the bike path to promote and encourage arts in our community.
Facility Specific Recommendations
Community Center. The maintenance facility should be moved to West State Street and that building along with the old vacant house should be torn down and replaced with landscaping. Meeting rooms inside the community center can be decorated with local art installations as has recently been done at Arts/West. Chess/checkers board tables should be added outdoors of the building.
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Sells Park, Hawk Woods, and Hope Drive Preserve. A small shelter (16x30) with port-o-johns is needed at Sells Park. Expand the parking lot to accommodate more cars. Create a unified trail signage package. Provide handicapped accessibility to the pond and add benches to the area. Continue and expand efforts with local conservation and naturalist organizations to remove invasive plant species.
Highland Park. Install a new ADA playground, commission a public art installation, add regulation basketball hoops at reservoir court or retrofitting the court to accommodate another use.
West State Street Park. Add basketball, volleyball, and tennis courts. Realign and add more parking. Wellhead issues with parking need to be monitored. Public art should be commissioned. Pursue a collaboration with Ohio University to relocate their driving range and replace with soccer fields.
Southside Park. The area to the west of the parking lot can be used as community vegetable gardens, and basketball and volleyball courts. The parking lot can be expanded. Public art should be added.
Dairy Lane. ADA access is needed throughout the park. Parking enforcement along South Park Drive is needed due to the many on street spaces that are utilized by Ohio University employees. Basketball courts need improved. Add a Frisbee golf course.
Arts/West. ADA restrooms and a stair lift should be added. Basement needs general improvements for better space utilization. A shared parking agreement with middle school should be pursued to accommodate parking demand for larger events.
Gawande Preserve and Dowler Park. Connection to Camp Rotan needs to be pursued. Land purchases or conservation easements are options to achieve this. An overall land use plan needs to be developed to detail trail locations and other outdoor uses at this site.
Capital Improvement Priorities
The Arts, Parks, and Recreation Department has set the following priorities for capital improvements.
1. Swimming pool. The current pool is nearing the end of its useful live both in terms of the condition of the pool as well as the features that it provides with respect to the desires of today’s users. A feasibility study is warranted to discover what features are needed in a new swimming pool and the costs for construction.
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2. Accessibility. The department wishes to expand accessibility to facilities to all
Athenians. Improved accessibility features are needed at Arts West, restroom facilities, playgrounds, and trails.
3. Maintenance and Upkeep. High activity facilities such as community center, Arts west, playgrounds, skate park, bike path, trails, and dog parks are used year round and need constant attention in order to meet the needs of the users. Amenities such as benches, picnic tables, and waste/recycling containers need replaced.
4. Outdoor pavilion/amphitheater. This facility was identified through the planning process as being desired by the community. Such a facility would be used for special events including live music and theater performances, weddings, graduations,
cookouts, banquets, and cruise-ins. Roofing for such a structure should include solar panels to contribute towards the city’s green initiatives.
5. Maintenance Staffing. The current staffing levels for upkeep and maintenance are deficient. All capital improvements must come with the acknowledgement that additional staffing is needed in order to fulfill routine maintenance, safety inspections, and ongoing upkeep of park areas and facilities.
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SECTION FIVE: MAPS
MAP 1: ATHENS AREA PARKS AND RECREATION LOCATIONS MAP 2: COMMUNITY CENTER AND EAST STATE STREET PARK AREA MAP 3: WEST STATE STREET PARK
MAP 4: SOUTHSIDE AND DAIRY LANE PARKS
MAP 5: SELLS PARK AND STROUDS RUN TRAIL NETWORK MAP 6: HIGHLAND PARK
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Appendix
1: Ohio University COMS 832Athens Community Arts, Parks, and Recreation 2012 Project Report, June 4, 2012
2. Constant Contact Online Survey Report
