The City of Elkhart is developing a comprehensive Parks and Cultural Assets Master Plan and wants to learn more about the community’s vision for the future of these vital amenities. Two upcoming meetings will allow the public an opportunity to share ideas and partner with the City in the planning process.

The first meeting will be held on Tuesday, May 28 from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the Tolson Community Center, located at 1320 Benham Avenue in Elkhart. The second meeting will take place the following evening on Wednesday, May 29 from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at High Dive Park Pavilion, located at 500 East Beardsley Avenue.

The meetings will be facilitated by representatives of GreenPlay, LLC, a nationally-known parks and recreation management consulting firm contracted by the City to oversee the plan. All interested members of the community are encouraged to attend.

In addition to these public input sessions, a needs assessment survey will also be conducted as part of the master plan process. The results of all community feedback will be utilized to determine priority programming and capital improvement projects over the next five years. The master plan will identify potential funding sources as well as community partnerships necessary to turn ideas into results. The plan will also establish criteria for evaluating the condition of land, facilities, and equipment and create a pro-active maintenance schedule to preserve local assets.

To learn more about the Parks and Cultural Assets Master Plan, contact the Elkhart Parks and Recreation Department at 574-295-PARK (7275).