Parks Department Presents Preliminary Master Plan

TYLER — The Tyler Parks and Recreation Department is hosting a public meeting from 6:30 to 8:00 tonight to gain community input on the preliminary draft of the 10-year master plan for the Tyler parks system. To ensure the plan reflects the needs of the citizens of Tyler, officials say the planning process included a citizen’s survey, focus group meetings, and four public meetings. The information gathered from the citizens of Tyler has been compiled into the master plan, and now the City is seeking feedback on the plan.

The public is invited to come to the Rose Garden Center and hear a presentation on the planning process; the needs analysis; and the park, recreation, and open space projects proposed to meet these needs in the future. After the presentation, attendees will be able to provide feedback about the preliminary plan. After citizen feedback is received, the finalized version of the master plan will be presented to the Parks Board for recommendation to the City Council for adoption. “I am delighted that we are in the final steps of the creation of a new parks master plan,” said Mayor Barbara Bass. “It has been more than 10 years since the City’s current parks master plan was created; the City has grown, and we need a plan that reflects our current and future parks needs.”

In 2009, the Tyler City Council awarded a contract for the Parks and Recreation and Open Space Master Plan to local consultant MHS Planning and Design. The new parks 10-year master plan will replace the current plan that was created in 1998. The need for an updated parks master plan was identified in the Parks, Open Space, Recreation and Lakes portion of the Tyler 21 Plan. Funds for the creation of the plan were included in the fiscal year 2008-2009 budget. The goal of the new parks master plan will be to help guide the City toward completing the objectives laid out in the Tyler 21 Plan. You can visit http://www.TylerParksandRec.com for more information on the Parks and Recreation Department or the Parks, Recreation, and Open Space Master Plan 2010-2020.