KINGSBURG – For Kingsburg residents who wish they had a bike trail close to their house or lament the lack of pickleball courts in their neighborhood, now is the time to share their parks and recreation hopes and dreams with city leaders.
The city is inviting any and all Kingsburg residents past and present to participate in an online survey that will help shape Kingsburg’s parks landscape for years to come. Those who complete the survey will have the chance to express how important they feel quality parks are for the community and how they utilize the city’s parks in their everyday lives.
“We want to hear from anyone that has ever visited a Kingsburg park, senior center, pool or has participated in any Kingsburg event, recreation program or sport,” Community Services Director Adam Castaneda said in an email to the Mid Valley Times.
Survey results will inform a comprehensive parks and recreation master plan that city staff are working on alongside a team of university students and faculty. In February, the Kingsburg City Council approved a partnership with the Sustainable Parks and Recreation Community Initiative (SPARCI) at California State University, Fresno to develop the master plan.
SPARCI is a pilot project headed by Fresno State’s recreation administration department chair Sam Lankford. The project develops partnerships with Valley recreation agencies to engage communities with idea generation and problem solving, according to the Fresno State website. Students in the recreation administration program work on these projects as part of their curriculum.
Questions in the survey were generated by SPARCI using the standard questions they put forward in these types of surveys and tailoring them more specifically to Kingsburg. According to Lankford, the survey will provide recommendations without binding Kingsburg to any specific actions.
Once the survey closes, SPARCI students will analyze the data and the city will organize workshops to narrow down the analysis and highlight the wants and needs of the community, Castaneda said. The end goal is for the community feedback gathered through the survey and other workshops will guide the city’s planning for its parks and recreation services.
Through the final parks master plan, the city will be able to prioritize funding and establish strategic goals for growth depending on current community needs. This kind of planning, complete with community input, has helped inform other park development in the city, such as the renovated Kingsburg Dog Park.
In addition to how they view Kingsburg parks, the survey allows residents to note what types of programs and amenities they would like to see more of, such as teen activities and clubs, adult fitness classes, natural and environmental programs, walking trails, picnic areas, outdoor fitness equipment and more.
Castaneda said he is most interested to hear community member’s desires for Kingsburg’s parks as well as its recreation programs.
“I would like to know what the community thinks we need in Kingsburg in terms of parks and recreation, and which future projects would receive the most support, such as additional parks, a community center, a new senior center or more recreation programs for kids,” Castaneda said.
A link to the online survey is available on the Kingsburg city website. The survey does not close on a specific date, but rather will end when SPARCI runs the data and determines it has an adequate number of responses, likely by mid-August.
