The Greencastle Parks and Recreation Department is wanting to hear from the public when it comes to its five year Parks and Recreation Master Plan. 

The department will hold a public meeting February 21 at 6 p.m. at Greencastle City Hall, 1 N Locust St., Greencastle, and will solicit feedback from the public. Recently, the department posted a draft of its parks and recreation master plan on its website, www.greencastleparks.com. 

The draft hits on various topics including future staffing needs, results from a public survey conducted last year, conditions of the current parks and future goals. 

When it comes to staffing needs, the department believes that as it continues to grow and offer additional programming, staffing levels will need to be considered. Additional staff could consist of the following: hiring additional full time department staff, additional seasonal staff and contracting with outside companies for maintenance needs. 

According to the draft, the results of the public survey stated over 93 percent of those who participated in the survey use Robe-Ann Park, while 66.4 percent use Big Walnut Sports Park and just under 52 percent used People Pathways. The least used park was the Mary Rodgers Field Park, which is located next to City Hall. As for the most popular activity and amenities, almost 75 percent stated walking/jogging or exercise was their favorite, while almost 65 percent replied swimming or aquatics. The survey also found that 29.5 percent of those responding did not use the city parks due to outdated amenities and 27.1 percent cited lack of restrooms as a reason for not using the parks. 

Of those who responded to the survey, almost half found the parks restrooms to be in poor condition and over half of the respondents thought there were not enough adequate restroom facilities. 

"Public input is a vital component in parks and recreation planning. It ensures that the facilities developed are what is needed or desired in the community," the draft states.

According to the survey, a strength of Greencastle was that it had many parks and recreation opportunities for its size, as well as great relationships with local groups and organizations. It also stated that more communication was needed in a variety of forms to ensure the community is not only informed but aware of parks and recreational offerings, as well as a connection of the trail system to existing facilities.  

The draft also touches on programming for teenagers, stating "teens are sometimes pushed out of existing park spaces and sometimes cause problems in parks."

"There needs to be parks and recreation opportunities catered to teens," the draft states. 

The parks department stated part of its vision for the future is to become a destination for parks and recreation events and tournaments, as well as helping to retain the younger generation in Greencastle through parks and recreation. 

The department currently hosts a variety of programs including youth co-ed basketball, summer and fall slow pitch softball for adults, pickleball, tennis and various family programs and special events. 

"Greencastle is keeping up with national trends for parks and park acreage, however for Hoosier needs, Greencastle could add an additional 70.5 acres to the park system. Additionally, there are two areas within the planning area that should be a priority for new park acreage. These areas are located northwest and northeast of downtown Greencastle. The Emma Jones Elementary School property provides an incredible opportunity for the City to add a park to the northwest area and the City should continue to pursue acquiring a portion of that property. City owned property where the People Pathways trail is located, north of Deer Meadow Primary School, provides an opportunity for a park in the lack of service area northeast of downtown. Greencastle Parks and Recreation should investigate what it would require to add park facilities such as parking, a playground, a rectangular multi-purpose field, etc," the report states. 

When it comes to goals, the parks and recreation department has quite a few, including increasing the quality of existing parks and trails, updating and adding facilities at Robe-Ann Park, updating restroom facilities, catering to younger populations and providing spaces and facilities for teens. Long-term, the department would like to hire additional seasonal staff to maintain facilities in peak seasons and add full time staff.