According to the Indiana Department of Natural Resources website, there are many reasons to create a five-year parks and recreation master plan.

These reasons include, but are not limited to:

Formulating a written framework for future action that acts as a guide for sensible facility and service development.

Providing community input opportunities.

Ensuring that the public actually wants the facilities that are developed.

Providing an opportunity to share information about your programs and facilities with the public.

Giving a clear sense of direction for the park system.

Improving funding opportunities.

I have served as a member of the Brown County Parks and Recreation Board since I was hired as the Purdue Extension health and human sciences and agriculture and natural resources educator in May 2019. I can confidently say that I wholeheartedly agree with this list of reasons for why we need a five-year parks and recreation master plan in Brown County.

It’s for all these reasons and more that I’m excited to share that the Brown County Parks and Recreation Department (BCPRD) is in the final stages of preparing a draft parks and recreation five-year master plan to submit to the Indiana DNR for approval, and we need your feedback before we do!

Our first draft is due to DNR by Jan. 15, 2022 and our final report will be submitted prior to April 15, 2022, which will make us eligible for Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) grants next year.

A lot of work has already gone into collecting data and feedback from the community, and developing the plan to this point, but our final plan is only good if it accurately represents the needs and desires of the Brown County community at large.

What is parks and rec? Why should the master plan matter to you?

The BCPRD owns and/or manages four properties and over 200 acres of land in Brown County. The primary property is Deer Run Park with 72 acres. The other three are land on State Road 135 North totaling more than 140 acres, the Salt Creek Trail and the Sycamore Valley Community Center.

In addition to these physical amenities, the BCPRD offers youth and adult sports leagues and other special programming, along with community events like the annual Easter Egg hunt, Trick-or-Treat on the Trail and more.

Historically, BCPRD facilities and programs have served residents, neighboring communities and tourists alike. The department remains committed to making its facilities and services available and accessible to anyone regardless of resident status, ability to pay or physical/mental ability. However, as part of this planning process the BCPRD and the board are reaffirming our focus and responsibility to specifically serving the citizens and community members of Brown County.

How was the plan and its priorities developed?

Much of the data and input for this master plan was gathered during the “Enhancing the Value of Public Spaces: Creating Healthy Communities” (EVPS:CHC) process – a Purdue University Extension Signature Program which was undertaken in Brown County from late-2019 through mid-2021 and has been covered in more detail previously in the Brown County Democrat.

The EVPS:CHC process consisted of four in-person community “Open Houses” held in September 2020 with 24 attendees, a community survey that was available for response from September to December last year that received 336 responses and four working groups that met virtually three times between November 2020 and February 2021. The working groups contained 22 community participants and six Purdue Extension facilitators.

Issues identified based on public, board and staff input

Based on all the data, feedback and suggestions gathered throughout this planning process, the following issues have been identified:

More programs needed for all ages, going beyond youth-based programs and sports leagues.

More options needed for indoor and year-round community-focused spaces and programming.

Lack of accessibility of facilities, programs and policies.

Addressing long-term maintenance needs of existing amenities and facilities.

Lack of certain desired “signature amenities” within the community. The most popular requests include an indoor, multi-purpose sport and community facility; bicycle pump track; outdoor pickleball court(s); and splashpad/water feature.

Limited availability of funding and manpower across the board.

Lack of a safe, multi-use trail to access Deer Run Park via foot, bike or other non-motorist transportation options.

Lack of a detailed and comprehensive land use plan for Deer Run Park.

Proposed five-year master plan priorities (2022-2027)

The priorities for the five-year master plan include finalizing a detailed and comprehensive land use plan for Deer Run Park, which should address issues and future plans for (at minimum) the:

Four lower ball diamonds in the floodway.

Old office building.

Disc golf course.

Additional shelter house(s).

Maintenance equipment and supply storage.

Possible access points for future multi-use trail from Nashville.

Potential for future “signature amenities.”

The other priorities for the master plan are:

Create new educational, experiential and “lifelong learning” programs for people of all ages.

Identify ways to increase accessibility throughout existing facilities and programming. Improvements may need to be phased in for cost reasons, but need to be a priority.

Increase focus, planning and fundraising for the development of a safe, multi-use trail to access Deer Run Park via foot, bike or other non-motorist transportation options.

Overall greater and more targeted fundraising efforts.

How can you help?

All of the data and feedback that was used to identify these issues and priorities – and much more information that’s relevant to BCPRD facilities and programming in the future – is covered in the full Brown County Five-Year Park and Recreation Master Plan and we invite all interested parties to review the plan and provide their comments, suggestions and other feedback for the BCPR Board’s consideration.

An electronic copy of the plan can be downloaded at www.bcparksrec.com. Paper copies are available for review at the Purdue Extension – Brown County Office located at 802 Memorial Dr or the Brown County Parks and Rec Office at 902 Deer Run Lane, Suite B. Paper copies are available during regular business hours Monday through Friday, 8 a.m.to 4 p.m.

Written comments or questions should be submitted by 4 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 15. Comments can be submitted by either email at [email protected] or by mail to the Brown County Parks and Rec at P.O. Box 299, Nashville, Indiana 47448.

Comments can also be dropped off in-person to the Brown County Parks and Rec Office.

Time for public comment and questions will also be provided at the December meeting of the Brown County Parks Board. The BCPR Board meeting will be held at 5:15pm on Wednesday, Dec. 15 at the BCPRD Office at Deer Run Park, 902 Deer Run Lane, Suite B.

A virtual option for attending the meeting will also be provided. Please contact Michelle Mosley at 812-988-5522 or [email protected] to request the details for the Zoom link.

Kara Hammes, MPH, is the Brown County Purdue Extension educator for health and human sciences and agriculture and natural resources. She can be reached at 812-988-5495 or [email protected].