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Members of the Round Lake Area Park District staff attend a kick-off meeting for the Comprehensive Master Plan.

REIMAGINE ROUND LAKE AREA:
TIME TO RECONNECT

The Round Lake Area Park District is embarking on a Comprehensive Master Planning effort and we want you to be a part of it!

The Park District hired a team of consultants to lead this planning effort. BerryDunn is the lead firm and supported by Confluence (reviewing parks, trails, and open space), Studio GC (reviewing facilities), and aQity Research (conducting a statistically valid survey)

This year-long planning process began in August 2024 and will include both a strategic plan and a master plan.

A strategic plan is internally focused and will include a review of the organizational structure, staffing, resources, and culture. The master plan is externally focused and will include a thorough review of parks, facilities, open space, trails, programs, events, and services.

The final report, expected to be finished in August 2025, will be a five-year plan that will provide a road map for the future direction of the District. The goal is to create a plan that is actionable and affordable.

The Engagement Phase of this process will begin in January 2025 and include many opportunities for residents to provide feedback about programs, events, facilities, parks, trails, open space, and services. We want your ideas!

A random sampling of residents will be mailed a survey in January. In addition BerryDunn will provide opportunities for people to share their thoughts in-person; at District events; through a series of focus groups; and via a website that will act as a project hub and allow people the opportunity to provide feedback.

More information about how you can be involved in this process will be posted on the Park District website and social media later this year. Stay tuned for more details!
If you have questions about this planning effort, please contact Katie Gamroth, Executive Director at katie_gamroth@rlapd.org.

Find more detailed information below:

This year-long planning process has been divided into six phases:

  1. Discovery
  2. Strategic Plan
  3. Engagement
  4. Analysis
  5. Visioning
  6. Draft and Final Master Plan

During the Discovery Phase, the demographic make-up of the District is compiled and analyzed to learn about the constituents that are served.

The Strategic Planning process includes staff interviews to identify strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. District Board members also complete a survey to provide feedback. A series of workshops are conducted to update the RLAPD’s vision and mission. The strategic plan will be completed in December 2024 and approved by the Board of Commissioners in January 2025.

The Engagement Phase will begin in January 2025 and include many opportunities for residents to provide feedback about programs, events, facilities, parks, trails, open space, and services. The survey firm aQity will conduct a statistically valid survey – which will be mailed to a random sampling of residents in January 2025. In addition to the survey, BerryDunn will provide opportunities for people to share their thoughts in-person at District events, through a series of focus groups, and via a website that will act as a project hub and allow people the opportunity to provide feedback. More information about this website will be sent out via RLAPD’s communication channels in December.

During the Analysis phase, Confluence will inventory all the parks and open space and Studio GC will inventory all the facilities. This inventory will include an assessment of condition as well, providing the District details on infrastructure repairs and costs. BerryDunn will review all the recreation programming and analyze maintenance functions, looking for efficiencies the District might employ.

The Visioning phase will begin with a complete review of everything learned to date (demographics, parks, facilities, programs, etc.). The consulting team will then work with staff to come up with an action plan to address service gaps. The goal is to create a plan that is actionable and affordable. The vision will be shared with the community through the project website, allowing constituents an opportunity to review and provide feedback.

The last phase of the project will involve a draft report that will be reviewed by the staff and the Board of Park Commissioners. A presentation of the final plan will be made by the consulting team at a public meeting. Any necessary changes will be made to the draft report and a final report will be compiled. Once approved, the Park District will share the final document on its website for constituents to review.

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