Polk approves contract for recreation master plan

Published 1:11 pm Friday, October 26, 2012

This old playground equipment was removed from outside Stearns in Columbus earlier this year as part of continuing efforts to improve recreation opportunities in Polk County. Polk County commissioners voted Oct. 15 to have Isothermal Planning and Development Commission (IPDC) create a master plan for the recreation department. (photo by Leah Justice)

Contract with IPDC for $6k

Polk County has decided to contract with the Isothermal Planning and Development Commission (IPDC) to create a recreation master plan.

Commissioners met on Oct. 15 and chose the IPDC bid, which was the lowest at $6,000.

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The county will take the funding out of its contingency fund.

The current recreation master plan is from 1999 and does not include several assets, such as the county recreation park in Mill Spring. The recreation board decided to update the plan, in part, because most grant funding requires an updated master plan.

The recreation board held community meetings last year in order to get input from the public through surveys.

Recreation advisory board member Laura Lynch attended the commissioner meeting and said the board is looking at different opportunities for grant funding with a state grant officials saying the master plan needs to be a comprehensive long-range plan.