Orange County to study potential parks

Orange County soon will be more efficiently educated to provide parks and recreational facilities, as the Orange County Board of Commissioners hopes to fix a master plan to predict future community needs.

The plan, slated for completion by May, is being compiled by the Recreation and Parks Strategic Plan Committee and will provide the commissioners with a detailed report outlining the costs of current and future county parks — including equipment, staff and possible land acquisitions — for the next 15 years.

“Currently, there is a lack of (parks),” said Lori Taft, director of the county’s Recreation and Parks Department. “(The plan) sort of lays it out there, it’s up to the commissioners to decide what projects to prioritize.”

While commissioners say the plan will focus on the needs for parks currently “on the books,” including the Twin Creeks Park project and the Little River Park that opened Dec. 5, it also will act as a blueprint for future facilities.

“It’s a work in progress, and it is by no means complete or comprehensive in its present state,” Taft said of the plan. “But … I think we are well on our way to an excellent program with a comprehensive set of parks covering every area of the community.”

The strategic plan committee, which includes Commissioner Stephen H. Halkiotis and Vice Chairman Barry Jacobs, began working last summer to flush out a comprehensive plan.

Funding for future park projects could come both from general money and bonds, Jacobs said.

General funds will pay for operational costs such as personnel and gasoline, while borrowed bond money will go toward the purchase of objects such as swing sets, tractors and soccer fields.

But Jacobs said these purchases will not be made anytime soon.

“For the next couple of years, we’ll be at the ceiling,” Jacobs said, explaining that the commissioners had imposed a cap on spending. “We own the land, but we don’t have the money to develop it.”

The progress report of the plan presented to the commissioners Tuesday also outlined the need for an additional conservation technician on staff to help supervise current park facilities at Little River Park and other county parks.

“It’s really way too much for just the one person we have on board now to manage,” Taft said. “Our objective in this is just to provide safe and clean parks.”

Halkiotis moved to put a decision on the position on the consent agenda for the next commissioners’ meeting to give members more time to assess the need and cost. The estimated salary for this position is $45,000 a year.

Commissioners also discussed setting criteria for deciding which parks in Orange County need caretakers and whether caretakers should be tenants of the property or mobile county employees.

“The bottom line is when you look at this report … we need to figure out how we’re going to pay for this stuff,” Halkiotis said.

Jacobs suggested breaking down costs to make the plan seem less overwhelming.

He also said an effort could be made to phase current equipment and staff into future plans.

“In order to have a first-rate operation, you have to have the staff, equipment and resources,” Halkiotis said. “The issue is, can we afford the whole plan?

“You’ve got to add up all the pieces.”

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