Existing

Lancaster is in the southeastern portion of Ohio, in close proximity to the Hocking Hills region to the south and Columbus to the north Lancaster, the county seat of Fairfield County, spans 18 62 square miles and includes residential, industrial, and commercial land uses

Managing over 832 acres of public parkland, the Lancaster Parks & Recreation Department offers programming for people of all ages and abilities Programmed athletics, nature education, arts, and community events, to population-specific parks and passive recreation sites, as well as free community events, keep the park’s staff busy and occupied year-round .

Founded in 1909, Lancaster Parks & Recreation also boasts the Olivedale Senior Center, the new all-abilities, multigenerational Hunter Park, historic Rising Park, and the nine-and-a-half-mile Fairfield Heritage Trail

Under the direction of a superintendent and governed by a four-person Parks Board, the City Park System is operated by a staff of 17 full-time employees, a city forester, eight part-time employees, and 60 summer/ seasonal employees, with a 2022 proposed budget of $2 9 million https://www.ci.lancaster.oh.us/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/4931

Facilities

Alley Park

Firehouse Park

Hunter Building

Marten’s Park

Park Office

Tiki Pool

Cedarlen Park

Glassco Park

Keller-Kirn Park

Mary Burnham Park

Olivedale Senior Center

Utica Park

Cenci Lake

Hocking Park

Lanreco Park

Miller Park

Rising Park

Zane Square

Elmwood Park

Huffer-Durdin Park

Maher Park

Miller Pool and Skate Park

Soccer Complex

Key Demographics

THE POPULATION OF LANCASTER

40,763 MEDIAN AGE OF LANCASTER RESIDENTS

39.2

1,000

2.04 acres per 1,000 residents

6.25 - 10.50 acres per 1,000 residents

According to the American Planning Association (APA), located in California, The Quimby Act allows California jurisdictions to establish parkland dedication requirements of at least 3 0 acres per 1,000 residents There is not, however, a national standard for the ratio between recreation space and the population of a city

“Attempts have been made to establish the percentage of recreation space needed in relation to the area of the city. It has been stated that at least one-tenth of the city’s acreage should be used for recreation. This type of standard cannot be completely satisfactory, however, since it does not take into consideration the population density. No rigid formula can be prescribed; all specific standards and recommendations are subject to variations, conditions, and peculiarities of the area surrounding the recreational facility.” https://www.planning.org/pas/reports/report194.htm

The APA also suggests there is a general agreement among city planners and recreation authorities that 30 to 50 percent of the total park and recreation land in a community should be set aside for active recreation Based on the recommended standard of one acre per 100 population, it has also been stated that from 25 to 50 percent of the total space should be developed for neighborhood use, with the remaining acreage in community, city-wide, or regional facilities

Lancaster has a population density of 2,170 people per square mile and an annual growth rate of 44% consistently over the past 10 years Since 2012, the population of Lancaster has increased by roughly 500 people per year That said, the addition of Intel in Licking County in the coming year will likely cause the Lancaster population to increase . Therefore, planning to accommodate the recreational needs of an increased number of residents is pertinent https://worldpopulationreview.com/us-cities/lancaster-oh-population. The demographic data reported in this document is sourced from the American Community Survey published by the United States Census Bureau.

LANCASTER Residents by Age

Persons age 0-5

Persons age 6-18

Persons age 19-64

Persons age 65+

16,451 households in Lancaster

57.8% households in Lancaster occupied by owners

$44,794 median household income in Lancaster

16.3% poverty level in Lancaster

National Trends

The National Study of Neighborhood Parks stated in its publication Active Parks, Healthy Cities, “Nothing increases park use and physical activity as much as programming—providing supervised activities to help people make use of the space—with each additional supervised activity leading to a 48 percent increase in park use and a 37 percent increase in physical activity.”

Park and play space design influences how much a park is used and how physically active park users will be Parks with walking loops were found to have 80 percent more users, over twice as many seniors, and 90 percent higher levels of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity .

With playgrounds, more is better .

The National Study of Neighborhood Parks found that for every play element added to a playground, use (and activity level) increases by 50 percent. Splash pads and spraygrounds are particularly popular But playgrounds don’t have to be just for kids Multigenerational playgrounds, as well as playgrounds with adjacent fitness zones, are an increasingly popular way for both children and their caregivers to get a positive dose of physical activity cityparksalliance.org

Multiple studies have found that there has been a sharp and continuing decline in youth sports participation

Concurrently, there also has been a steady decline in physical activity by youth The Aspen Institute’s Project Play’s State of Play 2021 report shows that before the restrictions imposed by the pandemic, participation in youth sports declined from 45 percent in 2008 to 38 percent in 2018 Most kids ages 6 to 12 playing a team sport quit by age 11, and since the pandemic, three in 10 kids who previously played say they are no longer interested in playing again . www.nrpa.org/parks-recreation-magazine/2022/january

Community Input

The Think BiG! project team solicited feedback from community members of all ages, including more than 600 children, and from the team of employees at Lancaster Parks & Recreation No restrictions were in place regarding the demographics of survey participants . The survey also was made available in print and downloadable PDF formats

An online survey, accessible via a QR code and also by visiting the City Park’s website provided a lowcost, time-efficient way for a wide variety of community members to volunteer honest, timely, and relevant feedback to both multiple choice and open-ended questions .

The online survey was launched in May 2022 at the Rising Park Family Day and remained open throughout the end of September The survey was advertised in a variety of ways

Large, six-foot banners featuring the Think BiG! logo and the QR code were displayed at various parks, the public pools, and on the stage at Fountain Square throughout the summer

Employees and members of the Friends of the Park Board were given t-shirts to wear with the QR code on the back, sparking conversation and allowing more people access to the QR code

Email blasts to all city and county employees were sent, inviting people to take the survey

A few thousand postcards with the QR codes and survey information were printed and distributed throughout the community

Public service announcements were distributed to the local radio station and a series of graphics were created and scheduled to run throughout the summer on the Lancaster Parks website and the Friends of the Parks website, as well as all social media accounts

Board members and employees placed social media posts on their personal sites

Publicity was achieved through several articles in the Lancaster Eagle-Gazette, the Towne Crier, and area chamber newsletters

Children throughout the community had opportunities to express their opinions on the future of the parks by voting in a fun and interactive way Large buckets featuring images of five different types of parks were taken to various family-oriented events throughout the summer Another set of buckets was placed at Alley Park during day camps . Children voted using tokens placed in a bucket featuring the park they would most like to see be created in Lancaster in the near future

While the overall survey results should not be considered statistically valid, the findings are from a broad enough sample that they can assist in identifying common wants and needs, themes, and concerns about the future of Lancaster Parks & Recreation, and how it serves the population

Following are the actual questions asked within the Think BiG! survey .