Why

For the fifth consecutive decade, Hamilton County, Indiana remained the fastest growing Indiana county in 2020 (with a 26.5% population increase). The county is also home to strong local municipal parks and recreation departments. As a result, Hamilton County residents are accustomed to a high level of service and quality of life expectations. Hamilton County Parks and Recreation (HCPR) desired to update its Five-Year Master Plan to be eligible for the Land and Water Conservation Fund monies established by Congress in 1964. HCPR sought to create a more robust land acquisition strategy, identify new funding and revenue considerations, and create a plan that provides direction for operations and maintenance.

HOW

Zec Eight Insights partnered with Lehman & Lehman along with ETC Institute. Lehman & Lehman is a landscape architect firm located in Mishawaka, IN. They provided their expertise in park assessments, mapping, and assistance with the overall plan’s development. ETC Institute is based in Olathe, KS and is recognized as an industry leader in community market research. They provided their expertise in statistically-valid surveying which resulted in 600 collected responses with a precision rate of +/- 4% at the 95% level of confidence.

What

The final Master Plan provides an updated land acquisition plan/policy, baseline for establishing staffing standards, funding and revenue guidelines to help fund the system, identified capital improvement projects by park location, and an implementable action plan with a phased approach over the five-year planning period. The plan is a direct result of a large internal and external engagement process coupled with technical assessments and research.

Reference
Chris Stice, Director
Hamilton County Parks and Recreation Department
(317) 770-4400
chris.stice@hamiltoncounty.in.gov
400 Lafayette Road
Noblesville, IN 46060