|
CHAPTER 1
<br />INTRODUCTION
<br />The City of Eugene, Oregon, has a strong legacy of parks that dates
<br />back to 1906 and the donation of land for Hendricks Park. The
<br />community includes people with diverse recreational interests-
<br />skateboarding, bird-watching, wheelchair basketball, disc-golf,
<br />kayaking, dog-walking, roller hockey-not to mention the basics of
<br />swimming, soccer, soffball, bicycling, and jogging. And last, but not
<br />least, the community has a growing reputation for natural resource
<br />management that includes a wetland protection program that serves
<br />as a national model. Today, the City of Eugene manages
<br />approximately 2900 acres of land in 130 parks, natural areas and
<br />special use facilities and offers a wide variety of recreational
<br />programs, special events, and services to people of all ages and
<br />abilities.
<br />Currently, these efforts are directed by numerous planning and policy
<br />documents, but never before has a plan addressed all of these
<br />important quality of life services. The Parks, Recreation & Open Space
<br />(PROS) Comprehensive Plan represents a unique opportunity for
<br />citizens; staff, and elected officials to work together to make Eugene a
<br />great place to live, work, and play.
<br />The comprehensive planning process, initiated in the summer of 2002,
<br />identifies future needs for parks, open space, and recreation programs
<br />and services. These needs are based on the results of public outreach
<br />to thousands of Eugene residents through meetings with
<br />neighborhood organizations, representatives of various interest groups,
<br />youth, seniors, adults, people with disabilities, and cultural minorities.
<br />Based on the identified needs, the PROS Comprehensive Plan
<br />proposes dozens of strategies and actions for the future to improve
<br />parks, provide recreation opportunities, and protect natural resource
<br />values. The document provides an overview of the planning process
<br />and presents the City's strategies for achieving our community vision.
<br />Finally, the Plan assigns priorities for implementation and identifies
<br />potential financing sources.
<br />A. Report Organziation
<br />The Eugene PROS Comprehensive Plan is organized into six chapters:
<br />^ Chapter 1: Introduction describes the purpose of the plan, the
<br />organization of this document, the planning area, and the
<br />plan development process.
<br />^ Chapter 2: Planning Framework describes the core values,
<br />vision, mission, goals, strategies and actions, and performance
<br />measures that form the comprehensive planning framework for
<br />parks and recreation.
<br />City of Eugene PROS Comprehensive Plan 1
<br />Draft
<br />'',
<br />
|