Department Organization The Department is organized into five parts. One is the administrative unit, which manages the Department. The other is a collection of four divisions, which maximize staff around public interest and need. There are four formal divisions: Capital Planning Division: responsible for managing capital planning projects and long-term planning. Community and Recreation Center Services Division (CRCS): provides physical fitness and wellness programs. Four sections lie under CRCS: •
Aquatics: oversees all of Aquatic facilities including neighborhood pools, Ray’s Splash Planet, Ramsey Creek Beach, and the Aquatic Centers.
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NC Cooperative Extension: the bridge between University specialists and Mecklenburg County residents.
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Recreation Centers: hosts, maintains, and organizes wellness and physical fitness programs, after school care, senior services, therapeutic programs and performing arts that occur on site.
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Therapeutic and Inclusive Recreation Services: develops programs for disabled, elderly, and under-resourced individuals.
Nature Preserves and Natural Resources Division: manages the nature centers, nature preserves, and natural heritage sites. Park Operations Division: operations and maintenance of parks and facilities. 20
MeckPlaybook 2021 Master Plan
Homefield Advantage
Davidson
Cornelius Huntersville
Municipal Boundaries
Mecklenburg County is in the Southwestern region of North Carolina. The South Carolina state line lies directly to the County’s south, while the Catawba River forms the County’s western border. Mecklenburg is home to one city, Charlotte, and six towns, Cornelius, Davidson, Huntersville, Matthews, Mint Hill, and Pineville, as well as the unincorporated areas.
Rapidly Growing Community
Meck Playbook serves as the implementation framework for the Mecklenburg County Comprehensive Park and Recreation Master Plan. Specifically, it serves to guide the direction of capital planning for parks, greenway trails, and recreation facilities. This means planning for growth and managing a large, diverse system that includes about 21,000 acres of parks and open space, 55 miles of greenway trails, and 60 facilities. Proactive planning is particularly important given the region’s recent and future rapid growth. Since 2010, North Carolina’s population has grown by 7.7%. Charlotte’s growth alone represents 15% of the state’s total growth.
Charlotte Mint Hill
Matthews
Pineville
1.6 Mecklenburg County’s municipal boundary includes the city of Charlotte and six neighboring towns.
Upper Catawba
Yadkin
Lower Catawba
1.7 The County’s three watersheds provide lifelines for flora, fauna, non-human, and human life.
