UPDATE (October 30, 2009): New Hampshire State Park System Ten-Year Strategic Development and Capital Improvement Plan
The revised draft of the State Park System Ten-Year Strategic Development and Capital Improvement Plan will be posted on Monday, November 23rd. The Division will be accepting comments on the revised draft from November 24th – December 24th.
Four information sessions will be hosted by the Division to lay out the plan and answer questions. Tentatively, the information session schedule is as follows:
Tuesday, December 1, 2009 - NEW LOCATION: Strawbery Banke, Portsmouth
Wednesday, December 2, 2009 - NH DOT, Concord
Monday, December 7, 2009 - Peterborough Town Hall, Peterborough
Tuesday, December 8, 2009 - North Country Resource Center, Lancaster
The final plan will be completed in January 2010.
UPDATE (August 31, 2009): New Hampshire State Park System Ten-Year Strategic Development and Capital Improvement Plan
At the August 26, 2009 State Park System Advisory Council (SPSAC) meeting, discussion centered on the Division’s Ten-Year Strategic Development and Capital Improvement Plan. The Council benefited from a presentation on the overall finances for the Division of Parks and Recreation. The presentation illustrated current expenses and income, with the objective of identifying the complexity of the financial issues. The information included many items that are either overlooked or often not associated with parks. For SPSAC members, as well as the public, it was deemed that an understanding of this financial profile was imperative in support of future recommendations. The same presentation did present a potential funding option which batched expenses into two categories – one that could be supported by fees, with the other supported by the general fund.
Ted Austin, Director of the Division, presented the Council with both a new Table of Contents and a new timeline for completion. The new timeline would be as follows:
• Revised draft Strategic and Capital Improvement Plan posted to the Division's website by Monday, November 2, 2009.
• Public sessions concluded by Wednesday, November 25th, 2009.
• Final version completed by Monday, January 4, 2010.
By legislation (SB 216), the Division is supposed to have the final draft plan presented by September 30th 2009, but the Director will request an extension. “A plan that will serve as a catalyst for real improvement via solutions and not just a reiteration of long-standing issues is of paramount importance. A plan that ultimately produces a vital park system is what we seek to generate. At this point that objective of a more complete plan requires additional time. If successful, this plan provides the foundation for future generations, not just the next ten years,” said the Director.
Following discussion, the new outline and timeline for completion were adopted by SPSAC at the 8.26.09 meeting.
The new Table of Contents and subsequent plan outline includes thumbnail explanations of content of many of the topics. SPSAC has taken on the important role of authoring the first section of the plan, “Core Findings and Overarching Principles.” That approach is perceived as potentially more effective, as SPSAC is arguably the more effective voice for philosophical observations and issues. This will allow the Parks team to focus on improved operations, which is the balance of the plan.
The Ten-year Strategic and Capital Improvement Plan will tie directly to and complement the annual State Parks Directors Report. As part of the Directors report, an operating plan will allow implementation of strategic initiatives across the five bienniums. This will provide the opportunity for the ten-year plan to stay dynamic and remain flexible and responsive to changing market conditions.
The Division and SPSAC have reviewed over 300 public comments that came in during the comment period. The comments have been reviewed and will continue to be used as a resource as the redrafting is in process.
The revised draft plan will integrate public perspective on each park while recommending a process and timeline for the analysis of what it will cost for stewardship of a vibrant parks system. Additionally, the plan will highlight broader economic impacts of parks to date, as the broader business community, which strives to tout quality of life issues as it promotes New Hampshire, is dealing with the cost of missed opportunities of a park system in decline. Lastly the plan will also identify ways in which it can maximize opportunities with existing programs such as the Statewide Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan (SCORP) and grants received from the Land, Water and Conservation Fund (LWCF).
We will continue to keep the public informed as we move forward in this process. Thank you for your support as we create this new foundation for parks.
(August 24, 2009) Update on the Division of Parks and Recreation's Draft Ten-Year Development Plan
The Division of Parks and Recreation is working with the State Park System Advisory Council on drafting a new timeline and Table of Contents for the Ten-Year Strategic and Capital Improvement Plan. The timeline and new Table of Contents will be presented at the SPSAC meeting on Wednesday, August 26th at 9:30am. The meeting will be held at the Department of Resources and Economic Development in Concord. The website will be updated again after that meeting.
(July 2, 2009) Department of Resources and Economic Development’s Commissioner George Bald has released the following statement about the Division of Parks and Recreation’s Draft Ten-Year Strategic and Capital Improvement Plan:
“Based on substantial public feedback, I have decided to withdraw the first draft of the Division of Parks and Recreation’s Ten-Year Strategic plan. There was an impression in this draft plan that a potential strategy would be to divest ourselves of properties. This was never the intent of this methodology. The Division, in cooperation with the State Park Systems Advisory Council, will present a more comprehensive draft plan that makes that clear. The public comment period will remain open until July 27th. A revised draft plan will be available for public comment in August, allowing further public input before the plan is finalized. The state park system is an integral component of what makes New Hampshire special for its residents and visitors. It is critical that we take the time now to be strategic in our thinking to ensure that these wonderful assets are available for our children and grandchildren to enjoy well in to the future.”