Chapter 4 | Analysis of Demand and Needs

Parks Needs Assessment Highlights draft City of Beaver Dam CORP Update April 21, 2022 Meeting

1. Quantitative Analysis

Acres of Parkland per 1,000 Residents (jurisdiction pop. <20,000)

Crystal Lake Beach

While the total acreage of community park and recreation lands is an easy indicator of the presence of parks and recreation space, it is not the only indicator of whether a community is able to meet the park and recreation needs of its residents. The National Recreation and Park Association advocates that the location of parkland, and the types of recreational facilities offered on that land, are just as important as the total acres of parkland. A community with a lot of parkland, but few recreational facilities, is less likely to meet the needs of its residents than a community which has a lesser amount of parkland, but has a larger variety of recreational opportunities. Fortunately for Beaver Dam residents they have access to a wide range of recreational facilities as summarized in Chapter 3, Section 4.2.

• Currently the City is proving approximately 288 acres of parkland, not counting school facilities, facilities or private facilities. This includes mini parks, neighborhood parks, community parks preserves, and special use parks.

• Currently the City is providing 17 acres per 1,000 residents. If no new parkland is added by be providing 15 acres per 1,000 residents.

• City used standard of 12 acres of parkland per 1,000 residents in 201 6 CORP.

4.2 GEOGRAPHIC ANALYSIS

The location of park and open space facilities in relation to the City’s residents is an important indicator of how well existing facilities meet the needs of the community. The National Recreation and Park Association, in partnership with the Trust for Public Land and the Urban Land Institute, promotes the 10-Minute Walk Campaign (https://10minutewalk.org) which advocates that “there’s a great park within a 10-minute walk of every person, in every neighborhood, in every city across America.” Using the 10-Minute Walk as a guiding principal, Figure 4.2 to the right indicates areas of the City that are within a 10-minute walk of a park (approximately 0.5 miles). This map shows that while the majority of Beaver Dam residents are able to access a City park within a 10-minute walk radius, a significant amount of the northern reaches of the City are outside the aggregate 10-minute walk radius. Figure 4.2 also highlights the presence of residentially zoned land (single-family, two-family, and multi-family) in this area that do not have as easy access to City parks as the rest of the City.

What is the purpose of this map?

4.3 Potentially Underserved Areas Analysis

1. To determine if areas of Beaver Dam are underserved by City parks. Areas that are most underserved are shown by the darkest colors on the map. It may be beneficial for the City to take these areas into consideration when planning future parks.

2. Some parks may be subject to heavy use based on surrounding population density. These parks may require additional maintenance and repair.

Park Park Service Area (0.5 mile)

City of Beaver Dam Municipal Boundary

A. Population Density

Served by Parks

Underserved by Parks Well

Note: This map uses 2020 census data; therefore residential developments constructed after the 2020 census may not be reflected in the population density map

Potentially Underserved Areas

This map is an overlay of maps A and B and represents areas that are potentially underserved. Darker areas are areas that are highly populated and do not have nearby park facilities, or have lower populations but very few parks.

Served By One Park High Population Density Low Population Density

B. Park Facility Density

Served by Many Parks

Figure 4.3 explores potentially undeserved are of the City in terms of park access within the aggregate 10-minute walk radius. The main map on this page overlays population density data and the location of all City parks to show where in the City there is a high (or low)degree of people, but fewer City Parks. The areas in dark blue in the northeast, southwest, and eastern reaches of the City area with low population density and are served by one park within a 10-minute walk. The central core of the City by contrast has a higher population density where residents have access to multiple parks with a 10-minute walk radius. As the areas of the City highlighted as potentially underserved gain more population and continue to develop, the City should consider adding more parks to ensure residents have access to more than one facility.

4.3 QUALITATIVE ANALYSIS

As part of the update to this plan, the Parks, Forestry and Facilities and Community Activities & Services Departments administered an on-line community survey to poll resident’s opinion regarding City park facilities and recreational programs. A total of 487 individuals completed the survey. The following is a summary of responses to key questions.

General Satisfaction

» 73% of respondents indicated they are either ‘satisfied’ or ‘very satisfied’ with City park and recreational facilities (parkland and equipment). This is a 5% decline from the 2016 CORP, where 78% of respondents reported being ‘satisfied’ or ‘very satisfied.’

» 58% of respondents indicated they are either ‘satisfied’ or ‘very satisfied’ with recreational programing (e.g. recreational classes). This figure was 66% in the 2016 CORP.

» A majority of survey respondents rated various characteristics of the City’s park system to be in ‘good’ condition, with the condition of the Watermark receiving the highest rate of ‘excellent’ votes at 39% of survey respondents. Higher responses in the ‘fair’ or ‘poor’ categories included the cleanliness of restrooms, condition of aquatic facilities, and the condition of furnishings (shelters, picnic tables, benches, grills, etc.).

Safety And Accessibility

» 68.8% of survey respondents did not have any concerns about the safety or accessibility of Beaver Dam’s parks. This is a decline from 80.91% of respondents in the 2016 CORP.

» Respondents expressed concerns over teenage population and perceived illegal activity after dusk.

GENERAL USE - PARKS (excluding winter months)

» Survey respondents favorite parks to visit were Swan City and Waterworks Park, with 31.3% and 34.0% respectively.

» The least visited park were: Jefferson Courts, Minne’s Meadow Park, Patrick Parker-Conley Park, Roller Avenue Park, Stevens Park, and VoTech Park. These parks received zero votes from survey respondents.

GENERAL USE - FACILITIES

(excluding winter months)

» 44.2% of respondents reported visiting the Watermark community center zero times in the past year. This is likely a reflection of the COVID-19 pandemic’s restriction on indoor activities. In the 2016 CORP, 41% of respondents indicated that someone in their household signed up for a recreation class or program through the City in the past 12 months.

» Only 31.2% of survey respondents reported a member of their family signing up for a recreational class or program in the past 12 months. Again, this lower rate is likely the result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

» The top six activities or facilities respondents or members of their households most commonly use included: Playground (47.5%), Picnic Facilities (44.5%), Trails (39.3%), Bandshell/ Concerts (37.5%), Boating Facilities (33.8%), and Fishing areas (287.0%).

General Demand

» 21.3% of respondents reported a member of their household visiting City parks 3 or more times a week, with another 26.8% visiting 1-2 times per week and 31.3% visiting once per month. Only 4.5% of respondents did not visit any Beaver Dam parks in the past year.

» Respondents were asked to indicate their top amenities they would like to see added or enhanced either by public or private entities in the next 5 years. The top three responses were: Outdoor Pool (56.5%), Off-Road Waling/Biking Trails (39.0%), and Restrooms (28.5%).

» 30.0% of respondents indicated the City’s current variety of recreational programs and classes met the needs of their household. However, 47.5% were not sure.

» When asked the reasons why members of their household did not participate in City recreational programming, the top response was ‘I’m too busy’ (39.1%). The second most common on response was the ‘Park doesn’t contain the desired features or facilities’ (18.2%).

Funding

» 52.3% of respondents would support the City spending more money to cover the cost of installing new park facilities/ equipment. 41.2% of respondents supported maintaining the current level of funding.

» 62.1% of respondents supported split user fees for resident/ non-residents who use City of Beaver Dam facilities. In the 2016 CORP this rate was 74.6%.

» 56.4% of respondents would support split fees specifically for events and activities at the Watermark.

» 44.6% of respondents would support an increase in park and recreation user fees to cover the cost of maintaining or building park and recreation facilities. 24.5% supported this same measure but only increasing non-resident fees. 20.4% were not sure. 10.5% indicated No.

Importance Of Park And Recreational Facilities

» Respondents were asked to rate the importance (1=not important, 10 = very important) they place on the City’s parks and recreational facilities/programs regarding several aspects of the community. Creating safer neighborhoods received the highest percentage of very important responses, with meeting the needs of existing residents in second. The full results of the survey are on file with the City of Beaver Dam Forestry Parks, Forestry and Facilities and Community Activities & Services Departments.

PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT POP-UP EVENTS

In addition to a public survey, the City also held several popup events during the summer of 2022 to further engage with Beaver Dam residents and solicit their feedback on City park facilities and recreational programs. These events featured hands-on, family-centered activities.For example, kids were encouraged to design their “dream park.” They were given a small patch of artificial turf and laminated clip art cutouts of park amenities (play sets, swings, sports fields, etc.) where they could arrange their favorites amenities. City and MSA staff took photos to document the kid’s designs; coloring pages were also provided. At one pop-up event, 40 “dream parks” and coloring pages were collected.

4.4 REGIONAL & STATE TRENDS

Insights from the Wisconsin Statewide Outdoor Comprehensive Recreation Plan (SCORP), 2019-2023. The recently updated Statewide Outdoor Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan (SCORP) features a Recreation Opportunities Analysis (ROA).

The ROA examines existing outdoor-recreation opportunities compared to future opportunities in eight regions throughout Wisconsin. Dodge County is located in the Southern Gateways region. The Southern Gateways region contains a variety of environments - rolling hills in the south, the centrally-located Wisconsin River, and large marshes in the east - the combination of which provides a wide array of recreational opportunities.

The region also has a number of important geologic features, including Devil’s Lake - one of Wisconsin’s most popular recreation destinations. The rapid development around Madison has also increased demand for urban-based recreation opportunities such as dog parks, bicycle trails and developed sports facilities.

The ROA found that residents of the Southern Gateways region participate in the following activities at higher rates than the State average:

• ATV/UTV riding

• Bicycling on surfaced trails, mountain biking and single track

• Tent camping

• Canoeing/kayaking

• Cross-country skiing/snowshoeing

• Fishing from shore, boat, canoe and kayak

• Hiking, walking and running on trails

• Big game hunting (deer, bear)

Goals, Objectives & Policies

5.1 Goals & Objective

5.1 Policies

This chapter describes the Mission Statement of the City’s Parks, Forestry and Facilities and Community Activities & Services Departments and the Long Range Vision for the City’s park and open space system. The long range vision describes the City’s park and open space system as we wish it to be in 2027, or sooner. The mission statement and long range vision are the foundation of this plan – the goals, objectives, and policies that follow are all intended to help realize the City’s mission and vision. The City of Beaver Dam identified the following goals for Parks and Recreation planning in their 2009 Comprehensive Plan.

5.1 GOALS & OBJECTIVES

1. Enhance and promote the use of bicycles and walking as viable forms of transportation by providing multi-use trails, bicycle routes, bicycles lanes, and sidewalks.

2. Provide safe and pleasant opportunities for off-street walking and biking.

3. Ensure that all residents have proportionate access to all park classification types.

4. Protect and enhance the City’s urban forest.

5. “Uncover” the Beaver Dam River and establish it as a major downtown amenity.

6. Improve public access to Beaver Dam Lake and River.

20 Year Vision

“An extensive system of parks, open space, and trails make Beaver Dam a great place to live. A waterfront trail follows the river, and riverfront parks provide recreational opportunities and help protect water quality. Along the lake, parks provide public access to the water and are true gems of the community.”

~Excerpt from the 2009 Comprehensive Plan

5.2 POLICIES

1. Most residents should be within a 10-minute walk from a public park or open space area, and the City should strive to maintain a minimum of 12 acres of public park and recreational land per 1,000 residents.

2. The City requires that residential developments dedicate parkland or provide recreational facilities as part of the approval of new developments in accordance with local subdivision ordinances (e.g. dedicating 5% of the total plat area for usable recreation purposes). In such special cases that this is not possible, the City may require that residential developments provide fees in- lieu of parkland dedication and fees-in-lieu of park development. Refer to Section 42-241 (30) of the City’s Code of Ordinances for fee schedule.

3. The City may use its Official Mapping powers to dedicate future park areas or recreational trails in advance of development in order to prevent the loss of lands to other uses.

4. The City should coordinate park and open space planning and improvements with civic organizations, neighboring communities, Dodge County, and the State to enhance regional recreational opportunities and to prevent duplication of facilities where such duplication is not necessary.

NATIONAL PARK, RECREATION, AND OPEN SPACE STANDARDS

The following policies have been adapted from the National Park, Recreation, and Open Space Standards, a publication of the National Recreation and Park Association, for application by the City.

1. The park and recreation system should provide opportunities for all persons regardless of race, creed, age, sex, or economic status.

2. Advance land acquisition based upon a park and open space system should begin immediately in order to prevent the loss of high quality sites to other development interests.

3. Facilities should be centrally located within the area that they are intended to serve and must have safe and adequate access, and be distributed so that all persons in the community can be served.

4. Land acquired for use as parks or recreation areas should be suitable for the specific intended use, and when possible, for multiple uses.

5. Land adjacent to recreation and open space areas should be used in ways that will not interfere with the purposes for which the recreation or open space land was intended, and in addition, recreation and open space areas should be compatible with surrounding land uses.

6. The design of individual park and recreation sites should be as flexible as possible to reflect the changing patterns of recreation needs in a given service area.

7. Special efforts should be made to provide for easy access to and the use of all facilities by the elderly, ill and handicapped, very young, and the other lessmobile groups in the community.

8. Recreation and open space land should be protected in perpetuity against encroachment by other uses that will inhibit the recreation or open space nature of the land.

9. Park and recreation areas should be used to separate incompatible land uses and guide future urban development.

10. Neighborhood and community level recreation areas should adjoin schools whenever possible. This can enhance the school environment and prevent duplication of facilities.

11. Citizen involvement in the recreation and open space decision-making process should be encouraged and expanded.

12. Facility development must be reviewed with safety in mind, adhering to accepted standards prior to installation.

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