OVERLAND PARK, Kan — The city of Overland Park is continually improving its parks and recreation facilities and is reaching out to the community for feedback on the "Playbook OP: Parks and Recreation Long Range Plan."
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The city's parks and rec department, which oversees over 80 parks and recreational centers, like Deanna Rose Children's Farmstead, Scheels Soccer Complex and the Overland Park Farmer's Market, is updating its current plan.
“We definitely have a sense of pride here about our parks and recreation amenities and activities that we offer," said Desiree Pickert, a spokeswoman for the city of Overland Park. "We hope the community has pride too and we would like to keep that going.”
The "Playbook OP Long Range Plan" is an all-inclusive roadmap for the development and improvement of Overland Park's parks and recreation areas. City officials are eager to involve citizens and tourists in the process of forming the city's recreational landscape, as they recognize the importance of community engagement.
“What we do here in parks and recreation in Overland Park is for the community," Pickert said.
The city last made upgrades and renovations to its parks and rec centers back in 2013. Some of those changes included adding benches to areas, improvements to the landscaping and making playgrounds more inclusive. Dave Staudenmyer, a frequent visitor to the Tomahawk Ridge Community Center, said the centers are great and welcoming.
"The facilities are fantastic here, absolutely fantastic," Staudenmyer said. "We enjoy the people, we enjoy how we're greeted by the people behind the desk and they tolerate us, which is a lot of fun.”
Tonight at the Matt Ross Community Center, the city of Overland Park is holding a public meeting from 5 to 7 p.m. to get more ideas and thoughts from residents and visitors. People can share their ideas for improvements and voice their opinions about the state of parks and recreation centers. Pickert said those changes depend on what the community wants.
“We'd like to know what they'd like to see in the future, what they think we need to do right now or what needs to be changed or updated, what their priorities are for our leisure activities and our recreational activities here in Overland Park," Pickert said.
Those that can't make the meeting are encouraged to fill out an online survey.
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