Columbus Recreation and Parks Department 2025-2035 Master Plan and Five Year Strategic Plan

RFQ location: https://columbus.bonfirehub.com/opportunities/108975

Invitation

The Columbus Recreation and Parks Department (CRPD) seeks Statements of Qualifications from professional service firms interested in developing Columbus' 2025–2035 Recreation and Parks Master Plan and supporting Five Year Strategic Plan. The Master Plan will provide a 10 year vision and roadmap for recreation programming and services, parks, facilities, trails, waterways, and open space planning that scales the city's recreation and parks system equitably to match Columbus' place as the 15th largest city in the U.S. The accompanying Five Year Strategic Plan is meant to operationalize the Master Plan through tactical steps to achieve the Master Plan's short to intermediate length goals.

Responding consultant teams (Consultant) shall be capable of demonstrating excellence in large urban park system long range planning, including staff, stakeholder, public engagement, research and data analysis, operations, organizational performance and project management. Upon review of the SOQs, the Department may select a shortlist of respondents to provide a Technical Proposal for further consideration in selecting the final consultant team.

Project Description

Columbus Recreation and Parks Department seeks to develop a 2025–2035 Master Plan and supporting Five Year Strategic Plan that guides the department's programming, places and policies to drive real quality-of-life improvements for all Columbus residents. For more than 100 years the Columbus Recreation and Parks Department has provided opportunities and spaces for Columbus residents to connect with play, recreation, and leisure. The 2025–2035 Master Plan and Strategic Planning process is a critical inflection point. This month, CRPD will achieve CAPRA accreditation, a yearlong application process that required an extensive review, and in some instances creation, of department systems, policies and procedures. We are data-rich, having completed inventories, needs assessments and gap analyses in areas such as Tree Canopy, Land Acquisition, Recreation Trends and Capital Needs. In the past five years, CRPD has seen historic levels of capital investment in parks and facilities and is poised to continue receiving the funds to complete much needed expansion in sports and aquatics facilities. The environment in which CRPD operates today is ripe for creating a 2025–2035 Master Plan that is more focused, more attainable and more attuned to the recreational and wellbeing priorities of Columbus' 1M residents than at any point in the last several decades.

The selected consultant team will conduct internal and external public engagement, collect and analyze data, synthesize relevant goals from existing plans and utilize findings to develop a clear set of priorities, goals and objectives and implementation plan for the City's park system, trails, facilities, programs and services. It is expected the deliverables of The 2025–2035 Master Plan, with a free-standing Executive Summary, a 5 year Strategic Plan and a template for annual Strategic Plan "playbooks" in which staff document the tactics, coordination, and key performance indicators for annual advancement of goals and objectives- are all resulting public documents that will require the approval of the Columbus Recreation and Parks Commission.

Goals and Objectives

A successful master planning process will be:

• Participatory & Inclusive;
• Data-informed
• Realistic yet Responsive to current and future needs of our city.

The resulting Master and Strategic Plans will seamlessly co-exist to:

• Offer equitable, pragmatic solutions that transform our participant experience.
• Establish priorities, goals, objectives and strategies that align with the department's mission, vision and values and with the industry pillars of health and wellness, conservation and social equity.
• Clearly articulate existing department resources and the gaps and operational and financial commitments necessary to achieve the department's goals.
• Delineate timelines, metrics, roles and responsibilities of divisions, sections, partnerships and collaborations to achieve the goals and objectives.
• Expand the Recreation Plan to encompass the depth and breadth of programs, services and experiences the department offers and provide recommendations for program evolution based on peer city case studies.
• Position the department to embody the characteristics of the NRPA and AARPA Gold Medal Park Agency: "One that demonstrates excellence in long-range planning, resource management and innovative approaches to delivery of superb park and recreation services with fiscally sound business practices."
• Capture over-arching community priorities and those that are unique to certain planning areas.
• Build consensus among CRPD staff and internal departments, City Administration, and Columbus' communities for a growth plan that confronts some of the department's most pressing questions. For example:
  • What's the gap between what the community wants in programming and what's offered?
  • What does the community want now that will almost certainly still be desirable over the next several decades?
  • What should we do to encourage new and unique program participation and park uses, support healthy lifestyles, and build upon our best and most unique offerings?
  • Do we have enough Community Centers and Athletic Complexes? What models and service areas should we consider, given our distribution?
  • Are facilities and equipment still being used for the purposes for which they were designed?
  • How do we measure the success of our Opportunity Center Model?
  • How and where should we focus our partnerships with school districts to maximize the use of our mutual facilities and greenspace for community benefit?
  • How should we engage known underserved populations-- those living outside of the 1950's corporate boundaries, New Americans, youth and teens ages 12-24; and who else are we not serving?
  • Should we offer more of our programming in multiple languages?
  • In reviewing our Program Matrix, registrations and participation levels across recreation programming, what should we drop, add or modify?
  • What mechanisms should be in place to ensure our most socially vulnerable residents and communities have access to our highest quality and most popular programs?
  • How should we approach activation of our natural areas in a way that stewards resources and cultivates an appreciation for the natural environment? Which properties should we target?
  • How do we account for the shifting ecology and stressors of climate change?
  • Which golf courses are vulnerable to becoming less relevant without planned course modifications?
  • How many dog parks should we have and where?
  • What does the community think of our park care?
  • How can we affordably refresh, re-energize and our parks and facilities to be more vibrant, welcoming public spaces?
  • Are we choosing the most impactful ways to support residents' health and well-being, recreational interests, and sense of belonging?
  • What should be built or offered to push the range and distribution of recreational opportunities available in Columbus?
  • What measures can CRPD implement to address real threats and public perceptions of security?
  • How do our Programs and Park and Building Maintenance Capacities--staffing levels, classifications, and funding-- compare to cities of similar size and characteristics?
  • What would be needed to bridge a financial and operational gap to meet the community priorities that the plan will discover?