HomeMy Public PortalAboutCHAPTER FOUR STANDARDS ANALYSIS CHAPTER FOUR
STANDARDS ANALYSIS
Level of Service Standards
Needs Analysis
Summary
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irk
Level of Service Standards
Facility Standards
The Facility Standards developed for this plan are based on National Recreation & Park
Association "Recreation, Park and Open Space Standards and Guidelines". All previous
recreation planning in Greencastle was completed without comparison to National Standards.
Utilizing standards allows the planning process to set a benchmark of desired facilities for a
specific population. The Facility Standards Table below shows standards in terms of park
acreage and the quantity of a specific facility or amenity needed to serve a given number of
persons. Facility Standards define the minimum number of recreation facilities necessary to
accommodate the community needs for recreational activities.
The standards will be used as a tool to assist in determining current and future community-
wide recreation needs.
Greencastle Park Facility Acreage NRPA Standards for Public
Categories Development Facilities in a 10,50o Person
Standards Community
Total City Park Land (Acres) 1 _ 5.4 1,000
Baseball/Softball Fields 3.25 1 5,000
Outdoor Basketball Courts 0.25 1 5,000
''°". ' Picnic Shelter Area 0.20 1 2,000
Playgrounds 0.20 1 2,000
Football Fields 2.00 1 5,000
Soccer Fields 2.5o 1 4,00o
Swimming Pool (Outdoor) 3.00 1 10,000
Swimming Pool (Indoor) 5.00 1 20,000
Gymnasium 5.00 1 10,000
Tennis Courts o.25 1 2,000
Volleyball 0.20 1 5,000
Horseshoe Pits o.05 1 5,000
Community Building o.6o 1 10,000
Skate Park 0.20 1 10,000
Amphitheater 4.o0 1 5,000
Multi-Use Trails (in Miles) NA 1 3,000
Nature/Historic Sites o.25 1 5,000
Fishing Facility/Access 8.00 1 20,000
Wooded/Green Space in Acres 1.25 1 1 000
Pond/River/Wetland in Acres 1.25 1 5,000
Restroom Facility o.25 1 20 Acres
Maintenance Building o.25 1 10 000
*Acreage Development Standards include square footage for the facility,user parking and
t."'"` infrastructure/support amenities
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Needs Analysis
Utilizing the established Facility Standards, Greencastle's Community-Wide Needs for the 5-
year time frame of 2003-2007 are presented in the following Table. The facilities included for
these need projections were selected as the most warranted facilities to meet current and
future demand, and current trends in park and recreation planning, further defined in the
previous section of this Chapter entitled Facility Standards. These trends were indicated and
supported by City Staff, public participation results, and were reflective of changes created by
the National Recreation and Park Association (1995) and presented in the text taken from Park,
Recreation, Open Space and Greenway Guidelines (1996).
The projections are intended to be a guide for estimating needs based on future growth in the
community, where the City population is estimated to reach 10,500 persons by the year 2007.
The needs presented in these tables will be utilized to help determine appropriate park
development recommendations for the next 5 years.
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/0.1 Greencastle Park Facility New
Categories NRPA Standards Greencastle's 2oo7 Park Inventory
Acreage for Public Needs/ Acreage
Develop- Facilities in a Public Park Inventory (Surplus) Allocation
ment iosoo Person Inventory for New
Standards Community 2002 Needs by 2007 Needs
Total City Park Land
(Acres) 1 5.4 1,000 130 57 (73) (73.30)
Baseball/Softball Fields 3.25 1 5,000 9 2 (7) (22.75)
Outdoor Basketball
Courts 0.25 1 5,000 0 2 2
0.25
Picnic Shelter Area 0.20 1 2,000 9 5 (4) (0.80)
Playgrounds 0.20 1 2,000 5 5 0 0.00
Football Fields 2.00 1 5,000 0 2 2
4.00
Soccer Fields
2.50 1 4,000 9 2 (7) (17.50)
Swimming Pool
(Outdoor) 3.00 1 10,000 1 1
Swimming Pool o o.00
(Indoor) 5.00 1 20,000 0 0 0 0.00
Gymnasium 5.00 1 10,000 0 1 1 5.00
Tennis Courts 0.25 1 2,000 5 5 0 0.00
Volleyball 0.20 1 5,000 0 2 2 0.40
Horseshoe Pits o.05 1 5,000 2 2 0 0.00
Community Building o.6o 1 10,000 o 1 1 o.6o
, kate Park 0.20 1 10,000 1 1 0 0.00
Amphitheater 4.00 1 5,000 1 2 1
Multi-Use Trails (in 4.00
Miles) NA 1 3,000 5 3 (2) NA
Nature/Historic Sites 0.25 1 5,000 1 2 1 0.25
Fishing Facility/Access 8.00 1 20,000 1 0 (1) (8.00)
Wooded/Green Space
in Acres 1.25 1 1,000 12 10 (2) (2.50)
Pond/River/Wetland in
Acres 1.25 1 5,000 8 2 (6) (7.50)
Restroom Facility o.25 1 20 Acres 3 3 0 (0.04)
Maintenance Building o.25 1 10,000 2 1 (1) (0.25)
'Acreage Development Standards include square footage for the facility, user parking and
infrastructure/support amenities
'Inventory Estimate includes acreage and facilities at Robe Ann Park, Jaycee Park & Big Walnut
Sports Park
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Summary
In review of the Level of Service Standards and the Inventory Needs Analysis it would appear
that the overall picture of recreation facilities available to the citizens of Greencastle are far
above the NRPA Standards for Public Facilities for a 10,500 Person Community. However,
looks may be deceiving.
The overall acreage of recreational areas available to Greencastle citizens includes City-owned
Robe-Aim Park(28 acres), City-owned, privately leased Jaycee Park (22 acres), and the
privately owned Big Walnut Sports Park(80 acres). These three properties total
approximately 130 acres of lands devoted to recreation. The downfall to these figures is that
although great in size, these facilities aren't all conveniently located to the user.
Robe-Ann Park is centrally located in Greencastle, and is home to many of the recreational
facilities offered by the parks &recreation department,however many people in town have to
drive to the park to enjoy what is offered. Jaycee Park is wooded natural area great for passive
recreational activities, however the park is located approximately 2 miles outside of the
municipal limits. Big Walnut Sports Park offers many youth and an adult sport fields,
however although accessible by the People Pathway "sports link"it too is located outside of
the municipal limits. The Sports Park also targets Putnam County as a whole and not just the
City of Greencastle.
Therefore even though the overall acreage for Greencastle more than exceeds the standard the
city does not have strategically located smaller neighborhood parks within walking distance of
the residential neighborhoods.
When examining the standards, a community the size of Greencastle should offer at least 2
ball diamonds. The City, itself, operates an adult softball field, which is located at/in Robe-
Ann Park. The other eight (8) ball diamonds are located at Big Walnut Sports Park. These
softball/baseball facilities are again serving users and teams from all around Putnam County
and not just the citizens of Greencastle. Seven of the fields located at the sports park target
youth programs while one field targets the adult women's and coed softball programs. When
examining the user and team numbers as well as the practice and game schedules one
additional adult field is needed, with ASA regulated fence distances.
The need for a Community Center and Gymnasium are apparent when reviewing the
standards. There are currently no facilities that are open on a regular basis to the public for
recreational use.
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