County's Recreational Master Plan Public Meeting
In Orchid, the Orchid Island Golf & Beach Club offers wonderful recreational facilities, which it is in the process of growing. Outside of the community, Indian River County is also looking to enhance its parks and leisure facilities with the creation of a countywide master plan that will set a framework for the development and maintenance of parks, beaches, and recreational facilities.
Public Meeting
All county residents, including from Orchid, are invited to participate in a public meeting on September 27. Interested residents will be able to attend in person or remote. The event will kick off at 7 p.m. Visit the Intergenerational Center at 1590 9th Street SW (Oslo Road) in Vero Beach or connect with Zoom Meeting ID: 81015190167 and Password: 002144. The conference telephone number is 866 528 2256, with Conference Code 571620.
Planning Process
“It’s an exciting time to live, work, and play in Indian River County,” said Beth Powell, Indian River County’s Interim General Services Director. “As our county is growing and changing, it’s important to take an assessment of our existing resources and identify future needs and opportunities. The County’s initiative to complete this Parks and Recreation Master Plan gives the public an opportunity to provide valuable input which will guide future improvements, support expansion of services, and protect our unique history and cultural resources. The plan will create a clear path for capital improvements and strengthen the County’s ability to leverage available grant funds.”
The County will engage a nationally recognized parks, recreation and sports consulting firm, PROS Consulting Inc., to lead the planning process in collaboration with Perez Planning + Design, Chen Moore and Associates, and key county staff. “This planning process is centered on community values and the needs of the growing and diverse community that visits Indian River County or calls it home.” said Brian Trusty, Principal of PROS Consulting Inc. The assessment and action plan are expected to be complete by September 2024.
The County plans to keep citizens informed through a crowdsourcing platform, a one-stop shop for all information related to the project including meeting details, technical reports and relevant contact info. “This is not up and running yet, but we are excited about how this platform works and believe our residents will appreciate the opportunity to easily track our progress,” said Powell. “We really want our residents to help shape the future so we have worked hard to create multiple opportunities for people to offer their perspectives.”
In addition to public meetings, and the crowdsourcing platform, the Consulting Team will be mailing a statistically valid survey to households throughout the County. The team will also be conducting interviews, creating focus groups at a future meeting, and they will assess program and facility needs and review future demographic data, trends and usage statistics. “It is our intention to bring to the Board a comprehensive plan for future expanded recreational opportunities for this beautiful County we all enjoy,” said Powell.
Public Participation
The County Board of County Commissioners encourages all citizens to participate in planning future expanded recreational opportunities. If you could design the county park of the future, what would it look like? Would it have playgrounds, ball fields and a climbing wall, or would it invite more passive outdoor activities? What programs should be offered and where should the priorities of County dollars be spent? If you have great ideas or want to hear what others are suggesting, participate in the aforementioned public meeting to kick off the Parks and Recreation Master Planning process.
