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maintain the fields, would be a preferred way to proceed. Another possible <br />partnership is to form a relationship with a private party and share in the management <br />and maintenance costs of recreational development. Such partnerships are becoming <br />more common around the country, especially in large sports field development. <br />Emerging Trends. Since adoption of the 1989 plan, a number of emerging trends in <br />parks and recreation have occurred. Three in particular come to mind: <br />1. Community Policing. There is a need to strengthen relationships between <br />police agencies and -parks and recreation practitioners. The Washington - <br />Jefferson Bridge Task Force is an example. Another example is the idea of a <br />multi - service facility serving the Whiteaker neighborhood. The combination of <br />recreational facilities and recreational services combined with other services <br />holds great promise for neighborhood improvement. <br />2. Focus on Youth. Since the 1989 plan adoption, there has been a <br />heightened awareness of the need for alternatives for the youth of our <br />community. Keeping kids busy in gyms and on sports fields is one part of the <br />goal; focusing on at -risk youth is another. Expanding the number of kids, as <br />well as adults, involved in team sports is hampered by one clear fact: there <br />are not enough gyms and fields to accommodate growth. As an example, there <br />have been no new city or school district gyms built in Eugene for more than 20 <br />years. There has been some increase in sports fields, but groups such as <br />Kidsports and AYSO soccer could easily fill more. <br />3. Sports Programming. There are also trends in sports programming that <br />we need to think about. An example. Since adoption of the 1989 plan, the <br />growth of soccer has been very large, as has co -ed sports and older adult <br />programming. There is probably enough demand in our community to support <br />a multi - purpose field house that would be primarily designed for indoor soccer, <br />but could also be used for other sports activities. <br />COUNCIL DECISIONS <br />The Council needs to decide the amount of money that would be devoted to parks, <br />recreation, and open space acquisition through the revenue strategy. As the draft <br />strategy recognizes, the City could acquire or develop on a yearly basis with revenue <br />on hand, or, the City could use a yearly revenue stream to finance debt service <br />payments, such as through a revenue - backed general obligation bond. <br />As is true with many other Council projects, there is a need to establish a spending <br />target and to prioritize from a long list of possible projects. <br />3 <br />