Marshfield Park and Recreation Department Holding Public Informational Meeting Regarding Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan

Thursday, August 31st, 2023 -- 12:01 PM

The Marshfield Parks and Recreation is working to provide an update to its Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan (CORP).

There will be a Public Information Meeting on Wednesday, September 20 at 4:00 p.m. at the 2nd Street Community Center, 211 E. 2nd Street, to present the preliminary findings and gather feedback from the public.

The CORP is used to guide the City in making decisions related to improvements at established parks, adding new facilities, potential land acquisition, trail development, and compliance with ADA requirements.

A CORP is required to be eligible for funding assistance and grants through the Department of Natural Resource Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) State Assistance Program. The previous plan was completed in 2014 and expired in 2018.

A CORP is intended to evaluate outdoor recreation facilities' supply, demand, trends, and issues. It is used to set forth ideas about the future role of recreation in the community and serve as the blueprint to guide the City on future recreation needs and opportunities.

The City hired Parkitecture and Planning Inc. to complete the plan. “I have worked with many communities on this type of plan and have found that this step during the planning is  critical to gain input from local citizens and to be truly useful and effective,” says Blake Theisen with Parkitecture and Planning.

This process will review a number of existing planning documents and a thorough analysis of the existing facilities and programs that the  City operates and maintains.

Justin Casperson, Parks and Recreation Director for Marshfield, said, “This planning process is a chance for the City of Marshfield to envision what our park system will look like in 2030. Our last plan was well done, but many objectives  and current trends are no longer applicable.”

The purpose of the Public Information Meeting on Wednesday, September 20 at 4:00 p.m. is to solicit information from the public regarding what they would like to see in the future for the Marshfield Parks and Recreation System. Questions and answers will follow a brief presentation.

Guests will be able to complete comment sheets with their thoughts. If you have any questions or comments, please get in touch with Justin Casperson, Parks &  Recreation Director, at 715-384-4642 or j[email protected].

Feel free to contact us with questions and/or comments.