City of Portsmouth, New Hampshire Recreation Board, 16 Nov 2022

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From YouTube: 11.16.2022 Recreational Needs Public Input Workshop

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11.16.2022 Recreational Needs Public Input Workshop

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Thank you all for being here. My name is alex perry, I'm an architect with play tour we're.

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An artist and planner right here in portsmouth many of our staff live enforcement. We work.

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Enforcement but obviously- and we take advantage of a lot of these facilities and programs in the.

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Rec department, so we're just thrilled to be part of this process and getting to know our community.

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Really helped we have on our community with experts in recreational planning. I should also.

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Mention I have ken bear from now office joining us tonight and I'll. Let the hearts we wouldn't folks.

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Introduce themselves, but just one of the general things um and open the lines of communications.

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Participate, I'm really glad we're here.

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Thank you thanks, alex um group in our province office uh with me tonight is lily baker, who runs.

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Our regular manager, office and jack davis, who is my colleague in the providence office, um so.

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Yeah tonight is really about um reporting our finals from from our community outreach efforts.

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But also from some of the research that we did with the national recreation of parks, association.

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Which we utilize uh to set some of the standards that we're building we're trying to build off of.

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um So with some of our findings and then after the presentation, we'll do a question.

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And answer period uh and then we have our board set up in the. uh I don't know what.

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That's called, but then uh mezzanine um and we'll have our staff at both awards.

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um And essentially, and I'll go through this at the end of the presentation, but essentially where.

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There are some boards that were asking you to be ties by dot voting. There are some boards that.

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We're asking you to provide input on a sticky note, uh because they're preliminary recommendations.

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um And then there are some boards that have both um and, like I said I'll, go through those.

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Before we actually head out to the gallery, but the gallery session after the q, a the gallery.

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Session will be sort of self-regulated you go to where you want to go. If you want to hit all the.

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Stations, that's that'd, be great. um We also have a vision board out there that will be made and.

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I'll go over that at the end as well, but I do want to let folks know that uh the boards, after.

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Tonight uh the presentation will be posted on the project webpage for folks who couldn't come.

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Tonight so that they can view it and then we're going to post all of the boards that you're.

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Originally tonight will be downstairs in the lobby for the next week. So if your neighbors or your.

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Family or your friends are gonna come tonight, and you want them to win, they can come to the.

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Center on regular business hours and they'll be able to provide their input on the boards as well.

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So tonight's meeting is really about a summary of data. Collection operates, community engagement.

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Ethics and then all the different, the various analyzes that we performed so to date, we had.

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An online community survey that was available to the general public. uh We had an athletic facility.

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Users survey that was had a targeted audience, so it was coaches and administrators um and so.

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You know associated personnel um who utilized the facilities in the town. uh We had a public.

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First public workshop in uh in the management of this year, we developed an inventory spreadsheet.

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Coordination between alice's firm and my firm with um the department of parks and greenery.

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I was like todd and head coach at parks and recreation and also with the school district.

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uh The age friendly portsmouth um document assessment came out that was done by the.

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Rockingham planning commission. uh We took some information from that as well.

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um That that addresses senior citizens in the community uh field use analysis is not quite.

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Complete yet, but we're able to make some some statements from some some realizations from that.

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um One of our big pieces uh that, for our analysis purposes and our research is.

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From the national recreation and parks association, uh they have a.

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um A whole suite of parks and recreation metrics that communities utilize to establish a baseline.

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Of where the community should be at and then where the community, where the community should.

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Be at today and then you can project those out and you'll see some of the tables in the presentation.

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Later on and I'll explain those as we go through, but we, um the national recreation park, association.

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um Puts all this information together and it's it's, they provide high and low and median numbers.

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For communities to almost like do a gut check of where they're at and where they should be.

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um And then we have existing and future municipal plans that we evaluated, and then we had several.

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Coordination interviews and meetings, we met with parks and community department and we met with.

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Students, it's not just um parks and rec sites, our town home sites at school sites that that folks.

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So we took our preliminary finance and recommendations and we sort of assembled them into.

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These six categories, uh so that we could it's this sort of errors, the way that we did our outreach to.

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People that mayors our surveys, um it should also mirror our final report, so we have information.

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Communication protocols, programming facilities, maintenance and stewardship connectivity, mobility.

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And amenities and we'll go through each of these different categories, one at a time.

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So information communication protocols so to start out, I I think it's a great way to start out that.

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We had a lot of feedback from residents um that the recreation department under todd's recent.

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Acquired leadership um has seen huge improvements as far as communication programming. The way that.

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They get admission not to post via social media or home, with the bulletins that come out. The catalogs.

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um The one thing that we did here from a lot of folks as well and from our continues was.

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Communication, it was lacking so communication between sports leagues and organizations and.

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Administrators coaches and the various different departments in the community.

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So some of these categories will have recommendations, uh statements and then.

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Some of them will have a list of prior to prioritized actions that you all in the.

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Community at large has already uh prioritized through the surveys through the first public.

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Workshop and the feedback that we received so similar recommendations. Well, first, our overarching.

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Goals for information, communication and protocols, increased communications and create a community.

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Because that really seems what what the emphasis is here, what the general need.

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Is so establish an annual meet and greet for sports leagues, organization, administrators.

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Coaches and support staff with the school district facilities director with the parks and greenery.

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Department, as well as the proxy recreation director, todd's todd and todd's department,.

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um Folks are saying that when we talk to uh some folks, that's something we just met each other, some.

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Of the coaches that I've never met so we're trying to foster an environment where that communication.

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When we can finally open up that really becomes critical, when there are significant weather events.

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And deals need to be boost of getting that information out to computer, so.

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That they can get that information out to their players and their families, um which.

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Is a significant undertaking, uh but also when the fields are closed and they need to stay up.

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Coming property well-being establish a quarterly by citizen coordination meeting with the same.

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Folks, uh program, offerings and skillets change by season, so I think it's important that you.

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Know everybody gets that opportunity to meet. Everybody has those face. You know face to a.

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Voice or a piece to an email, and then especially, I also forgot to mention you know when they have.

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To reschedule a game or around us and they're calling each other, you know opening those lines.

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Of communication can only facilitate a much smoother process with that uh formalizing.

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Protocols for field use, particularly after rain and weather events again, I just mentioned that.

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uh Folks need to respect and understand that sometimes fields need to be closed, because if.

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You're on the map to a significant or a long, duration of rain they're going to tear them up.

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um Ensure that information is made available both in print and online, so we heard this loud.

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And clear from the survey, but we also took this from the age friendly survey completed by the.

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Rocky camp planning- commission uh all different demographics, want to see information and all.

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Different forms and then promoting the city's commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion.

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The next category is programming, um so our overarching goal is to expand program offerings.

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And expand hours of operation, so this is where the national recreation and parks association.

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Metrics come to play the first time um they had a list of they categorized that programming by.

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And all of the work that they do by the size of the jurisdiction so because portsmouth today is.

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A population is estimated at 22 192 residents. We went with the less than 20 000 categories because.

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The next category of is 50 000 or less, so it really mirrors what we're trying to do here.

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um On the on the positive side, uh todd's department and todd staff, um the the programs.

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That are offered um based on national standards are very comparable to what is being offered in.

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The city of portsmouth today, as far as social uh named special events, social events, health and.

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Wellness programming, team sports, aquatics, racquet sports and the like- we do have these here because.

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These this is the the top five or six from all the different outreach elements that we completed.

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um And this is something that you'll be responding to when the boards outside throughout my gallery session. We want you to prioritize so the things that we heard.

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Loud and clear, over and over again from all the different engagement pieces, the.

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Surveys interviews, as well as the first public workshop people want more free play options.

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uh So less less program spaces so that people can just show up at a part on a saturday morning and.

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They have some space to do whatever they want to do, rather than have it always be programmed and.

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They have to either put their name in our service space programming for preschoolers.

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Adults, people with disabilities uh coordination with portsmouth housing authority, a lot of folks.

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Talked about offering scholarships to youth that come from the portsmouth housing authority.

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um One of their primary barriers to participation um and inclusiveness is cost.

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um Extending weekend hours uh for working families, mostly on indoor facilities, a lot.

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Of a lot of families who respond to the survey and the workshop spoke about, you know if you have.

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A two-parent working families difficult to get kids through some of these activities, especially.

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With younger kids, uh martial arts programming uh for adults and empty nesters establish training.

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Opportunities for volunteer coaches- a lot of folks commented about you know, and I see this in.

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My community in rhode island, when my son signs up for black football. You know they get everything's.

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Great, they get their team and they show their talent and then the next thing about the coaches.

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You're looking for volunteers, because they don't have enough coaches, so providing some coaching for.

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Some of these coaches, who are volunteering and may not have that level of experience.

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um Went to sports offerings uh portable swim, lessons and pickleball lessons in the leagues.

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So this is the second area where the national recreation and parks association comes into play.

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um I do have my there's a lot of information here, so I do have some notes, but so essentially.

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um And I'm going to try to walk you through this this table, so the national recreation.

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And parks association looks at programming and facilities across the nation and for if they.

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Have this list for facilities, whether it's less than twenty thousand twenty thousand to less than.

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Fifty thousand so I just I left both of these here, because I wanted to show you that you know.

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With the projected the estimated population of 22 192 in 2022, we're looking at all the information.

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That comes from the less than twenty thousand jurors population jurisdiction. These are all the.

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Different types of facilities from playgrounds, basketball, courts- and this is just strictly.

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Outdoor facilities, um community gardens swimming pools, soccer fields, skate parks, outdoor ice, rinks.

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Pitbull courts, so these are the numbers that we're using this next column here this baseline, this.

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Is the calculation that we utilize for less than twenty thousand, um and this is what the town city.

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Should have in place today, so you know I'm not going to go through them all, but 11 playgrounds.

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Seven uh baseball fields: uh eight tennis courts. So then we took the existing inventory.

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We developed that inventory spreadsheet that I spoke about earlier in the in the presentation.

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Where we have all the different facilities categorized all the different users, categorized.

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um We also looked at parking and circulation, and things like that, so this is where the city.

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Should be- and this is where the city is today, so you can see that there are some numbers that are.

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Higher than where we should be, there are some numbers that are lower than where we should be.

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um So then, this next column, the population again has a 22 192 residents as of 2022. So.

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This just takes this column and subtracts to this column, so anything that's highlighted in.

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Yellow shows a deficiency and it shows a demand or a need in the community. And that's just based.

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On nrpa nationwide standards, those are median standards, so we have to have something that we.

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Can base our work off of and base the work that the town pursues for the next 10 years.

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So anything in yellow is a deficiency, and then we have um our needs. Analysis is intended to.

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Have a 10-year planning horizon, so we need to not only look at facilities and programming.

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um Today, but we need to project that out to 2032 for the next 10 years.

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um So, essentially we're looking at a average annual growth rate of 0.53.

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For the next 10 years, which yields us just about another thousand residents by 2032.

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There's actually a dip in between that with a slightly lower um demographic population.

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So you'll see that again the deficiencies- these are the needs for 2032, so 10 years out.

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And you'll see that under the needs most of the numbers are the same, because the population hasn't.

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Really changed significantly, but again anything that's in yellow is identified as a deficiency or.

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A need based on nrpa median standards again, which is what we're utilizing as our baseline to measure.

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Everything off so then, looking at deficiencies uh where short three adult softball fields, one.

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New softball field, two adult baseball fields, two outdoor pools, two community gardens, reuse soccer.

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Fields, one adult soccer field, one skate park, one football field and three outdoor race tracks.

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Okay again, this is this will all be in our draft and final report as well, and I know that I just.

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Walk you through a ton of recognition, a short period of time, I'm happy to discuss that.

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um After the presentation.

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So then, also again still with outdoor facilities looking at demands and needs, so our athletic.

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Facility used a survey that was folks identified, the demand for additional fields, they're telling.

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Us there's not enough because of the limited, uh sheer number of facilities, there's not enough.

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Warm-Up or practice space for for teams and often they're occurrentless that are occurring.

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Especially when there are private sports leads playing adjacent to school teams and adjacent to.

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um Programming as well, uh we heard from the public outreach one of the repetitive themes.

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And priorities out there needs to be more artificial turf fields in the community. Two.

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um You know artificial turf fields, I'm not an expert on that and cannot answer any pd.

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Class questions for you right now, but I can certainly get the information back to you.

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um But artificials essentially have an unlimited, please find on them, so you can get a lot more.

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Use out of it versus a natural term site, uh we have support the city's open space plan.

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And massive plan recommendations, so it's really critical that we are building in all the other.

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Existing municipal documents and all the goals and actions and objectives that are included.

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In the middle cities at this plan, because once this plan is this report is, is finalized. It'll.

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Be important that when those plans get updated, that our information gets forward into those.

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Plans as well showing that consistency across your municipal documents when there's a funding.

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Opportunity in front of the community, it shows that you have vetted views across multiple.

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Platforms, multiple demographics and it gives you a little bit more teeth in that application.

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Coordination interviews and meetings, so we met with um facilities, school facilities, director.

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And parks and granary uh additional fields, capacity to breastfeed so right now they.

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Don't have the capacity to arrest any deals so giving sales downtime so that you know if it's.

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If it is a dance day and there's a lot of uh a lot of use have being able to let those fields.

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Recover a little bit will extend not only the the usability of the field, but the conditions.

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As well and the amount of maintenance that has to go in to keep those updated.

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uh And then field use analysis, as I mentioned earlier, the field use analysis is not 100.

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Completed yet we're still waiting for some data to come in, but we're able to still make some some.

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General statements about that there are a number of fields in the community that are being utilized.

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So this the standard average is 600 to 800 hours per year in order to maintain those fields in a.

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Satisfactory condition there are maybe seven or eight fields that are beyond that usage analysis.

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um So that just reinforces the need for additional facilities.

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So, moving on to indoor facilities again, this is from the national recreation, proxy association.

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It's a similar situation as far as the setup of the table. These are the different types of.

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Facilities that we looked at we're using the less than 20 000 population of jurisdiction.

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For our calculations, this is our baseline, so that we can establish that, where are.

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We going: where are we growing from? Where do we need to go? Where do we need to grow.

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This is the inventory from our inventory spreadsheet. This is what you this is. What.

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You need to have should have based on meeting standards. This is what you have 2022 again. The.

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Same population numbers: these are the deficiencies, so anything in yellow identifies a deficiency.

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And then again it's the same for population 2032, projecting out over that 10-year planning horizon.

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Where you need to have a certain number and again again, they don't really change that significantly.

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Because it's only a, I think, it's like a plus or minus 1 000 residents. um Oh that 10-year period.

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But again, these are the deficiencies that are identified so looking at the deficiencies from.

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The nrpa standards we have community two community centers that were deficient one.

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Senior center one performance, amphitheater, one team center and one door, indoor ice rink,.

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Could I ask you a question yes um slightly, just to notice that on under aquatic center, in harold.

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Zero and um does our inner program does count, um but it's not jesus reading. I think yeah. If it's.

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Not yellow, there's no definitions, I understand, but why is it? I just don't understand why it is.

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Saying we should have two, then we do have two. We.

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Do have darts yeah, okay yeah. I can't read it yeah.

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These are median averages that are nationwide for a facility for a parks and rec program in a.

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Jurisdiction of this size, those are the typical numbers that would be provided by a parks and.

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Recreation surprising, that a town that size would have three indoor ice, rinks or arenas. Yes, yes,.

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There are other communities are in much better positions financially or in more dire situations.

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Financially as well again, it's intended to be: we need to establish a baseline so that.

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We need to know where we're going to grow from. So that's why we're utilizing the nlpa, because.

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They cover facilities, they cover programming, they cover staffing and things like that. So.

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It's kind of comprehensive, yes friend great. I also think it's worth mentioning what the.

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Definition of recreation center is yes, so recreation centers, including gyms, so.

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Right now it shows that, uh and thank you for mentioning that um it shows that we, the city.

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Should have two: the inventory shows that we have six and that's because the the general.

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Definition of a recreation center is an indoor space that includes a gym, so all the school.

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Facilities get categorized into that, which is why you're not showing a need right here.

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um Or a need in 20 30 to 10 years out. But you have to keep in mind that school facilities have.

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Limited availability, because during the school day during you know an after school programming, so.

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There isn't there aren't records, there, aren't six recreation centers with gyms that are open, full.

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Time during every day, yes, how does this account for when you're talking about averages like.

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Geographical locations, so, comparing you know maine to arizona like those would have different needs.

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Just you know, arizona yeah we're outside yeah and then how did this account for um it's only like.

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Publicly owned or publicly accessible versus, like private gyms right and how to stick out or if they.

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There's ice rink in the next town will work, so the nrpa standards are based on public publicly.

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Going facilities and non-profit facilities, we have done an assessment of private resilience.

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We presented at the post public workshop. I think you did two different communities, two different.

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Abusive communities to do a comparison of what you know so we've heard a lot of folks that are.

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Saying that they would be portsmouth, including with jason communities, because there are other.

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Programs or there's better programming or there's cheaper programming or better hours, so alice.

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um Alice's firm did that comparable analysis even called rich communities and.

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I just want to jump in and say that it helps me to think of this analysis less as a like craig's.

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Telling us now we need all these things and more that this is one component of what we're doing.

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As part of this study, there's kind of figuring out how we're measuring up to other communities.

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Nationwide, it illuminates a lot of things for us, but so does the input. So it's all kind of part of.

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The consideration, and so where something like you know, if it's telling us we need.

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Three pools- and there are private ones that are serving our community very well. That kind.

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Of helps us sort of explain away of efficiency in that as an example, you know so so it's not as.

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If this is just spitting out what we need to do, um it's only one, the paper yeah. I have.

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All things that are managed by direct department or is it all.

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Of the city facilities that are sort of linkedin schools and private warranties.

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Because I'm really curious about where the team said: christ, where there's um what's up yes,.

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This is I'm certainly not saying that this is what the city has to.

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Do and has to require and has to develop again. We need to establish benchmarks.

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um The baseline, so that and we utilize nrpa, because those are nationwide standards, they have.

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And these the standards that we're showing here here in this baseline column, those are the median.

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For this size jurisdiction, so they're uh upper and lower courts, higher numbers that would be.

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Would scare you if you actually, we included those, um so you know we're just trying to shoot for.

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Middle of the road here to see where we kind of measure up and where we need to grow.

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And that's really just the intent of of all of this.

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um So I do want to mention. Oh, we have the next slide, which talks about demand and needs. So indoor.

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Facilities demands and needs from athletics facility use a survey that was identified.

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Demand for indoor facilities, I think it was seacoast ultimate and the portsmouth high school.

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Cheerleading team are interested in indoor space. There were a host of authors as well, but then from.

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Our public outreach, our repetitive themes, what we heard for indoor facilities that folks need.

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And desire a nice rank or arena a multi-purpose indoor sports complex, not just for year-round.

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Practice but year-rounding games evening games when you know in the fall in the winter, when the.

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Lighting is gone uh indoor access for toddlers, so a place for kids to go during inclement weather.

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Teen center indoor, additional indoor courts and recreation space as well and then from the nrpa.

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Standards that I just showed you another community center, a senior center and performance center, yeah.

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So part of our analysis and research was also to do conduct a level of service analysis.

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So a level of service analysis is intended to take a bird's eye perspective of the community.

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We first the first thing that we did was we. We classified all the sites that are in our.

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Study based on the nrpa definitions of the site, so there's a communion.

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uh Park community park is your largest park. It serves the biggest component of the community.

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um You know it typically has two to three different types of fields. It may have a playground.

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It has multi-use it's more multi-generational. The next level is neighborhood parts and neighborhood.

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Parks are more concentrated, serving a half a mile radius from around them, so the residential areas.

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Within a half mile radius, uh they're smaller facilities, and then they have maybe just one.

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Meals and one playground, or maybe just a talking path and things like that, and then we have all.

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And those are neighborhood, products are in red up here, are kind of orange. Community parts are.

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In green and the chartreuse green color and then all the sites are in yellow. We also have other.

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Sites and features recognizing that they're at conservation lands. There are other parcels in.

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The community that are the traditional menus of the town, the city- does not own, so we have local.

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And state conservation area stone in the brown golf courses, estuaries uh and lakes and ponds.

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And then we also have the shoreline access points identified in the red dots, and I I understand this.

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Is difficult to see we have it printed on a 24 by 36 out in the galleries. If you want to take a look.

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At it again, so essentially, what you do is this is a gis platform. It's so it's digital mapping.

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We took all the parcels of the community and we identified and coded all the sites that we're.

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Looking at and that gave us the opportunity to color code these and then we take for a.

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Community park, we take a two mile offset radius, which is in the green from the center of the site.

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And that shows the capture area for that community park. So it's a two mile radius for neighborhood.

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Parks, we do a half mile radius um from the center as well, and then that shows what that capture area.

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Is for the residential component? So taking a look from the bird's eye perspective, you can see that.

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The majority of the most of the community is equitably served by recreational amenities or.

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Facilities, so our recommendation would be to utilize this level of service analysis.

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Performed as part of this study as a planning tool to inform future citing and future investments for.

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Additional facilities, the nice thing about this is now that this is designed and developed. This will.

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Come over to the city and they'll be able to utilize this as a planning tool. So the nice thing.

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About a level of service analysis is in the gis platform. You can open up an attribute table which.

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Is essentially an excel table, you can identify all the soccer fields and from that, once you identify.

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Those and highlight them they can they'll, show up on your screen and you can see where they're.

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Strategically located so if the town, the city, has decided to invest in a new soccer field, and you.

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Want to know where you should be looking and the way to conduct that feasibility study that will.

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Tell you where you might want to locate that you don't ever want to have all of your sites.

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You know grouped into one section of time, because that's the first thing that people talk about in.

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The survey is they, you know they have to go across the community to get to a site or they.

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Have uh they have one child in a facility here and they're going to go all the way up to do a job.

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Open payment, so it makes it difficult. So that's the nice thing about the level of service analysis.

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Do you have a question there I'll tell you had a question.

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People would be driving, you could like their kid, could ride a scooter there yeah. I don't.

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Think it's safe to do so! Yes, and that that's something that where also we looked at.

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We have a cognitivity access and mobility as well, and one of the things that totally talk.

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About for enhancing community trails, enhancing expanding sidewalks, um you know we can certainly.

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Make recommendations for people to change their mindset about how they get component might be.

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But it really is not an individual whether they want to make that walk or want to make that job.

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Can you show where we built the current field, the currency yeah so we're here? This is campus.

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You say the deficiency.

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We only our our analysis is just criticize what currently exists.

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Today- and we can certainly include any future plans- and I was born.

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So the other component of our analysis was to do a climate change analysis. So again.

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This is still a gis level, uh gis platform level study. It's just a blob of the waterfront area,.

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um So we essentially looked at no is one foot and three foot rise. Projections for sea level rise.

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um And you can see in the purple, hatch is the one foot rise and then you can see in.

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The green hatch, which is just on the fringe of the purple, that's the three foot rise there.

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Really isn't any significant difference between the one foot and the three foot at this point.

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um So that's why I'm just showing uh the vulnerable recreation sites it's the same.

B

Five, that are impacted, and again I want to stress that this is a bird's eye perspective.

B

Of sea level rise impacting recreation sites. I I fully understand that I think it's his.

B

Left field and atlantic heights playground, I believe, has a high elevation, so you're not.

B

Going to have that overwatch, but you may have um significant scholar and erosion on the slope of.

B

That so this is not a land topographic analysis. This is a bird's eye perspective. Just looking at.

B

um You know where these projections are are happening and when so noah's one foot uh noah's.

B

Lower emission scenario has a one foot rise by 20.. I think, and they have a 2.5 foot rise by 2100.

B

um And again, when we did do this analysis and look closely at it, not at this scale,.

B

You can see that it's the sites that are in the five sites that are impacted under.

B

These two different analyzes, it's just the parameters of the site. It's not any buildings.

B

It's not any structures at all. It's just the parameters of the site, so you're, actually in.

B

Decent shape, but it still should be utilized as a planning tool when you're looking for to cite.

B

A feasibility uh site assessment to potentially purchase property to construct the site or move.

B

A site to or make any improvements to a site that might be underwater soon.

D

E

I just wondered where prospect park was because then on that, because they're.

E

Making a large investment right now in the president, carr yeah, to build.

E

Walls and all kinds of things right and is that impacted by the one foot.

E

Or two and a half foot interior, I don't I don't know what the current project, but you see well, I'm.

E

Just landing one other people, it's on the it's on the perimeter, it's right on the waterfront.

B

And again, it doesn't necessarily impact any structures. It's just land right now,.

B

So next, our next category is amenities and essentially we're just looking for folks to.

B

Wean in on um the different types of amenities, we've heard loud and clear, uh these are the top.

B

Repetitive themes from our community surveys, um our athletic facilities and surveys in.

B

The public workshop folks want to see comfort stations and restrooms. I actually have a list.

B

Foreign fields, pierce islands and cloak fields, um ada access waiting to expansion, ada accessibility,.

B

A lot of folks telling us that a lot of sites are not ada accessible or there might be ada.

B

Accessible parking with signage, but then you can't actually get to the facility itself to.

B

Utilize it and have the same experience as an able-bodied individual. So there's no path there.

B

May not be a concrete platform, a baseball field so that you can have you can sit with.

B

Your family and have that same experience uh incorporated picnic egg, more picnic areas in.

B

The sites uh we're looking at parking uh and then looking at seating, bleaches and benches.

B

um Our coordination interviews uh discussed fencing around fields and playground sites.

B

uh Pine tree playground is in new york, fencing and the buffalo pond valley as well.

B

Our next category is maintenance and stewardship. Our overarch and ghoul is just developing a.

B

Maintenance plan and establishing a partnership with community members there's never enough time.

B

Enough stop enough money to keep these sites up and running so uh part of our public outreach.

B

Or repetitive theme was, a lot of people talked about, fields could be in field maintenance and.

B

Conditions could be improved, a lot of people talked about spending the time and the money.

B

And the personnel on maintaining or upgrading what you already have before you start doing.

B

Something new and that's important to note um our coordination meetings and interviews. um You know.

B

With the parks and community department, as well as with the school facilities director, that there's.

B

A need for additional personnel uh parks and rec national recreation and parks association uh does.

B

Have standards median nationwide standards for personnel for maintenance? I believe the number was.

B

At 25 for this community in our spreadsheet, so we took all the staff that work at times, department.

B

Of parking recreation and such that folks, that work in parks and greenery and the folks that.

B

Work in the school facilities that focus their efforts on on maintaining and improving art and.

B

Recreation sites, it's not a perfect issue that we're right at 25.. It's not a perfect calculation.

B

Because you have to keep in mind that there are a lot of taught there's only a certain number.

B

Of folks in thomas department that work full-time 12, you know five days a week, 12 12 months a year.

B

um There are a number that work part-time. There are a number that work in parking greenery that.

B

Also work in school districts, uh they may only work, you know they might have two staff that work.

B

Five months a year of cutting grounds, but then they do other things throughout the rest of.

B

The year, so we try to come close and justify our populations as much as possible, but again.

B

There's never enough time and personnel and money to keep up sites. uh We talked about establishing.

B

Memorandum of agreement or memorandums of understanding uh with the the various sports.

B

Leagues and organizations they're uh regarding what they do for stewardship. So a lot of these.

B

Different leagues and organizations perform maintenance and upkeep of the sites that they.

B

Utilize and it's really because it's an as needed basis, it's not anything! That's normalized! It's.

B

Not anything, that's standardized as far as what the different best practices that they should be.

B

Doing so, no one is really doing the same thing, so we really need to be a little bit more consistent.

B

On the approach- and we need to have a better understanding about who is responsible for what, as.

B

Far as maintenance uh supporting the master plan's recommendations uh that was to establish with.

B

Community organizations and schools uh operating a stewardship program- maybe I thought the spot so.

B

That a lot of folks in the community can help maintain some of these things and then also.

B

Identifying encouraging efficiencies for equipment, crossover uh parks uh park and greenery department.

B

And the school facilities have identified that in the past they've shared equipment.

B

They've shared personnel to their advantage and to continue to be able to realize that was.

B

Thank you uh trying to accepting mobility, so overarching goal is biking. Enhancing expanding.

B

Walking and biking trails and looking at access throughout the community, so it makes for that.

B

That piece about sidewalks and connectivity and safety um so enhancing walking and biking trails.

B

Perhaps, by doing a walk on it, uh improving uh the rail on bike, trail and mountain bike trails.

B

Again, perhaps to a bike on it to identify what where those things can be expanded.

B

And where those things can happen or what the connectivity of best highest investors might be.

B

um A lot of folks in the survey talked about revisiting the middle street bike lane removal.

B

um As they were concerned about that, they thought that was a a good, a good um option. Ada accessible.

B

Improvements throughout the city again, a site does not have to be fully ada compliance, but.

B

The city should be making efforts to have one or you know. If it's a playground there should.

B

Be at least one or two elements that are ada accessible. There needs to be a ada approved.

B

Pack, in order to get to that, there needs to be a path, a parking space with a science or not.

B

um So not every single site has to be fully ada accessible, but the city should be working towards.

B

Implementing these small small wins uh and then connectivity is sites. The assignable sustaining.

B

Sidewalks making sure they're safe making sure their costs walks making sure there might there.

B

Are signals that gives the intersections a lot of folks talked about sidewalks as an issue in the.

B

Community and if they are provided, maybe they will get out of their cars and they will walk.

B

They might allow their kids to ride a bike to get to those sites, uh support the city's open space.

B

And open space plan recommendations so focus space plan has various uh trails and segments.

B

Identified again, looking at all the existing uh municipal documents so that there's consistency.

B

Across all those planning documents and then also supporting the city's master plan, recommendations.

B

As well again, making sure that business is consistency across your planning documents.

B

So, what's next is our gallery and vision boards um we'll do q a first, but um I guess we can.

B

Wait on this I can say: q, a first okay about how transportation I've talked a little bit.

G

About transportation, I was thinking about the collaboration with the housing authority. More.

G

To our facilities was really challenging, not as much money as just getting there.

G

The recommendation it has that kind of role at all, so we haven't. Actually we haven't thought.

B

About that and presented that yet well, we do we haven't. We don't have any recommendations that.

B

Are specific to sites or so that'll be included in the draft and final report? That would definitely.

B

Do something that you look at as far as, if we're proposing that we want to provide additional.

B

Access for for youth and families from those areas, um we will certainly identify what those.

B

Barriers might have been in cost being first in the transportation here. I'm sure. Thank you.

B

Are there questions from folks? Yes, I just took more of a comment.

G

um Just from what I've heard it sounds like if I was the housing authority, that's coordinated.

G

With the need for like the angel assistance, but just a point of verification, there could be.

G

I mean there are other families, not just yes, scholarships in general, but some folks.

B

Called out the housing authority, specifically in the survey- and there were a number of them.

B

That that called that out, um so I think that we're looking at scholarships across.

B

The community, but also with the youth and the families from the housing. Okay, yes, actually.

C

Reports was saying that the city should have a centralized recreation complex that you earlier.

C

Were saying that not having all your feelings or locations in one spot is probably not good? So is.

C

That just something that's changed over the course of 10 years, or is that maybe just depends on you.

C

Know the city, it's, I think it has a lot of factors. I don't think it's necessarily changed, but I think.

B

It has to do with property values and where the city can invest realistically, financially.

B

um Having a centralized complex is also beneficial and that's what the community.

B

Wants when I was showing the level of service analysis- and I was saying I should use this.

B

Planning tool to identify, I think that that's more looking at single new sites in sovereign.

B

Community sign a multi-sport complex is.

B

Perfectly acceptable, and typically the norm today, especially if you can also correlate that with.

B

um Sidewalk connections with transportation and things like that. So there's a lot of different.

B

Factors usability and that's why your higher firms to do sensibility, studies or that because.

B

They they look at all those they look at chapter patterns. They look at safety, sidewalks and things.

C

Yes, um just just to add to the current rate of transportation, I think it's important to.

B

Consider transportation not just for opposing authority sites but to service the entire.

C

Community yeah, you can't take these facilities, so would considering them. Okay, we should be any.

C

Inclusive approach to that not just selectively certain communities provided with transportation.

B

Accessibility versus the rest of the communities now right, right and then the age friendly service.

B

Mentioned seniors are interested in learning more about and having more opportunities for.

B

Transportation services, as they age in place for not being able to drive we're not going to.

B

Have a vehicle, so yes, community yeah! So could you explain the process moving forward and how all of.

C

The you know, work that you guys have done, informs the city and what the city does to actually make.

B

Some of this happen, so we will a lot of the data collection and information that we've done will.

B

Be provided in the dependency will certainly incorporate some of that into the actual body.

B

Of the report, but most of these uh will have recommendations with the start of what I showed.

B

You tonight and you'll see on the boards, but we'll be expanding those as well, um and we will will.

B

Likely have um at the end of the study of the report, we will probably have an implementation.

B

Table that looks at all these different categories and the different goals actually than objectives.

B

And and looking at you know what their intended to make, so I think that that's the way we haven't.

B

Really solidified that yet we have tried to be consistent in our privilege as far as community.

B

Engagement and our research and data collection, as far as the categories go, so that it's kind of.

B

Naturally, evolves into a final report. Is there a timeline for when you guys, so we hope to have our.

B

Our analysis phase done by december and then start working on the report in january. You step.

B

Away after the report, or do you continue to work with the city once we have the final report and.

B

We present that to the city, I think we're done. um You know we will certainly try to include in that.

B

Report some funding mechanisms, some timelines and things like that, um but I I do believe we're done.

B

Yes, sir slides you have tonight, I think I'd be available on the recreation website. Yes, so.

B

The powerpoint presentation, this presentation tonight is being videotaped.

B

um Or taped, and we will post this to the project webpage tomorrow morning,.

B

um All the boards in the gallery that you're going to be canceling and providing feedback.

B

And input on will be posted downstairs in the lobby for the next week. So again,.

B

If you were encouraging people to it did come to the presentation watch the presentation on.

B

The project webpage and then come to the center and weigh in on the boards. I'm thinking about.

C

The recreation department of the website is this, going to be on that's going to be a link.

B

Yes, we have a project web page on that parts of that department. Yes, hosted on the city's website.

C

The most the quickest way that you can actually directly this is going to go straight to the.

C

City's youtube channel tomorrow morning, okay and then it'll, probably eventually get up to.

C

The website at some point tomorrow, but it should go right up to the city's youtube channel. The city.

E

The city of portsmouth has a youtube channel. You can find.

C

It right from the city's home page and so or you can search city of portsmith.

E

I'm serious and everybody does it that's the way we communicate being told.

E

Jackie, that's just the platform for what the video is going to be so you'll, be.

C

Able to go to the website and find it, but definitely a platform works, update.

C

I'm saying the quickest access to it is, if you go directly to the youtube channel or.

D

Talk about like recreation? Yes, yes,.

D

You know their team.

D

um Except for the teen center, which I'm still not sure where that is so it's it's kind of being.

B

So so the the reason why you saw the items of uh toddlers and uh senior citizens and disabled.

B

Individuals is because those were recurrent themes that we heard during the surveys as.

B

Well, as the public workshop that we had so what we did was we've already asked folks.

B

To weigh in on what programs are missing, are needed or desired, and then we took.

B

From all of our collection efforts, we took the top five to six from each of those and.

B

Included those on on in this presentation today and on the boards and gallery.

B

The top needs some, no studies were done or they needed.

B

Well, there was nothing returned to us from the community about the need for routine programming.

B

In the boards in the gallery session, we have um I'll talk about that now, just to not duplicate.

C

Myself, so there are three different types of boards: each of the categories that we talked about.

B

Tonight are out there, there are boards that look like this, and this is what we want you to weigh.

B

In on so you're going to get there's going to be dots uh in a envelope at the bottom, and you will.

B

Tell us what your top two priorities are. We prefer that people don't stack their votes, but we really.

B

Can't control that, especially when the boards are going to be here for a week and kind of unmanned.

B

um So this is what we're looking at for prioritization of the different amenities.

B

That we, what we heard from from the general public over the course of you, know six to eight.

B

Months then, there's a second type of board that just has the recommendations that we identified.

B

um Based on what we heard from all of our engagement opportunities, this is what we want.

B

Folks to take there there instead of sticky dots, they will be post-it notes and we want.

B

You to respond, um you know, do these sound good and again, these are preliminary findings. These.

B

Are not our final bindings, but just looking at what we've completed so far, we had to identify.

B

Some preliminary bindings we're asking folks to tell us what's missing or what could be improved.

B

Either from these or what's missing in general, so when you um you can certainly do that for the.

B

Amenities as far as programming for teens, um but then there's also a third type of board, and there.

B

Will be staff at these boards to kind of guide you through this? It will have uh prioritization.

B

So we're asking you to identify your top two on the top ones where the boxes are, and it also.

B

Has the preliminary recommendations and then throughout the gallery? There are participant.

B

Comment sheets, so it's an eight and a half by eleven sheet of paper um where we're asking you.

B

If you don't see something here that is important to you and hasn't risen to the top, please write it.

B

Down, there's a it's all all you have to do is fill it in it circled like the category.

B

That you're speaking to whether it's amenities or information communications and then tell us.

B

What's missing or tell us what's needed and then turn that into one of the folks that I'm in the.

B

Stations and we'll we'll be summarizing all that information and taking those into consideration.

B

So we've already done our first kind of slot of what's needed, what's important, what's missing.

B

And now we presented what those priorities were from all those different habits and now we're.

B

Asking me to confirm what the city should focus on as their priorities for the next 10 years. Yes,.

G

Department, because I'm noticing a lot of people are going to laugh but they're all about city.

G

Departments that are have not been included in things in some of the programming and things like.

G

That identity, so that's different to me what the wreck should be doing moving forward versus what.

G

The cities so most likely it would be the parks and recreation department making proposals to the.

B

City for improvements offer land acquisitions or building acquisitions. So what what should parks.

B

And recreation look like in the future: what are the prior parks and recognition based on.

B

Looking at the national standards for the national median standards for defense mark.

B

um Looking at what we heard from people, because you know todd and his department can go to to the.

B

City and make requests for all these different things, but if we can't show and back it up with.

B

Data that this is what the city wants, based on it's a project or any other project, something.

B

Might build off of it. That's really the critical component of it. So that's why we're asking you.

B

Well, to either weigh in on the recommendations or weigh in on what the priority is.

B

We also have one more board out there. We have a vision board and this will not be.

B

Stopped so essentially, we are asking you all to give us information to help craft.

B

A vision for the recreational needs study it can either be.

B

One word: it could be a couple of words. It could be a fully crafted vision statement like the vision.

B

Of portsmouth recreational needs analysis uh is to foster a healthy, active and engaged community. So.

H

We've just included a couple of terms that you know just to give you a generalized statement.

B

Essentially, what we want you to do is provide a word or two: that's reflective of the core values.

B

That should be included into the recreational news, analysis, vision saved and that will have.

B

That has pens and post-its, and you can certainly write those comments um if you want to spend the.

B

Time that cropped out a full loosen statement for us, then you can certainly put that on them.

C

Any other questions yeah.

C

If you guys don't want my contact info, I can go put my card up too. I'm always welcome to.

C

Get emails to get comments about what you know what you want to see and stuff like.

C

That doesn't have to be through this uh method right, so just uh you know do what.

C

You need to do here, but also feel free, like my daughter, is always on my office is downstairs.

B

Foreign, so again, um as I mentioned uh the boards, the presentation will.

B

Be posted tomorrow to the project webpage also on the youtube uh says: youtube channel.

B

um Boards will be downstairs up until wednesday of next week, so normal business.

B

Hours come visit, send your families and your friends and your neighbors.

B

um To come right in the whole point of us leaving the boards here for a week is to get as much input.

B

As we can as possible, not everybody is interested in coming to public meeting as not everybody, so.

B

uh This is the project webpage on the recreation departments, link.

B

um Again, it has a project team here it has a recreation board members uh and then some general.

B

Information about um about the project- this is the actual link right there to the project webpage.

B

Yes, ma'am. Thank you for all of this. I mean we're working with.

D

um Thank you as far as necessary improvements yeah I mean how much would all of this cost. We have not.

B

And I don't believe we're going to be working on developing a budget for that, because it really.

B

Depends on what the priorities and the capacity of the city is based on the findings from this, so.

B

You know that would be a feasibility study to look at if the city decides that they want to.

B

Purchase a new soccer field that will definitely a feasibility study where you would either most.

B

Require a consultant to do that to identify as far as real estate um and then what the you know.

B

The placement of that, but utilizing our study to inform the location, the feasibility of that.

B

And it all depends on when it's you know we we can see as a result of the pandemic, building costs.

B

As significantly skyrocket- because we don't know, what's going to happen over the next 10 years, that way that might impact.

B

Any other questions. Yes, sir yeah. What was the uh number of responses you had for the first.

C

Study so the community survey yeah, I think we had over 300.

D

And then we also did a targeted survey to uh to sports facility.

B

Users, the coaches administrators and support staff.

B

Anything else so you're welcome to move on to the gallery. um We won't necessarily bring.

B

Folks, back at the end, so if you want to visit the gallery, talk to the staff person, you talk.

B

To todd to get your questions answered and then you're free to move on. um Thank you.

B

All for coming tonight, I really appreciate your your dependencies tonight. Please tell.

B

Your neighborhoods, your co-workers, to come visit. The website visit the website visit the gallery.

E

Completely amazing.