Greenwood County Park Master Plan
BACKGROUND
Greenwood County is a growing community with a current population of around 70,500 located in the western Piedmont region of South Carolina. The county covers 455 square miles and includes the City of Greenwood, and the towns of Hodges, Ninety Six, Troy and Ware Shoals. Greenwood County has tremendous recreational potential as it is situated between Lake Greenwood and the Sumter National Forest. The County has a unique opportunity to be the lead agency in planning for a county-wide complimentary system of parks, recreation and trails.
Currently, the Parks and Recreation Department manages the operation and maintenance of approximately 172 acres of parks and recreation areas. The scope of the Master Plan will include evaluation of land under the authority of the County and within the Countys boundaries as well as parks and other recreational facilities within the County under the authority of other local government entities, non-government organizations, federal and state agencies and private organizations.
The Greenwood City/County Comprehensive Plan was updated and adopted in 2007, and identifies goals and objectives for parks throughout the County. This document includes an inventory of existing park and recreation facilities within the County and municipalities along with a needs assessment of future park needs and will be made available for consultant use.
SCOPE OF SERVICES
The Scope of Services shall include, but not be limited to, the following. Respondents to this RFP may use this as a baseline but should develop their own Scope of Services based on project understanding and past experience. The County is open-minded on the process that can best be applied to achieve the desired result. The Scope of Services is divided into two components: a needs assessment and an implementation component.
Needs Assessment Component
1. Review the Greenwood City/County Comprehensive Plan and Codes of Ordinances.
2. Review existing facilities, staffing and programs associated with the County and City operations.
3. Review existing inventory of park and recreation facilities within the County and update and amend as necessary. Update should include quality evaluation of existing facilities and conditions, ADA compliance, etc.
4. Develop and facilitate a component for public input on types of facilities, locations and programs for the future.
5. Conduct needs assessment to determine the recreational needs for both facilities and programs and use patterns of County residents. The assessment will be based on information received through the public input process, stakeholder and/or focus group meetings, public opinion surveys, and contact with government officials and private citizens.
6. Conduct interviews with County Council members and management staff regarding current conditions and desired service levels. Conduct interviews with principal representatives from other local government entities, non-government organizations, federal and state agencies, and private sector organizations to determine existing levels of service and proposed plans for Capital Improvement Projects which may influence the Comprehensive Plan.
7. Provide comparative analysis to industry standards and similar communities.
8. Provide recommendations for upgrades to existing facilities, staffing and programs.
9. Analyze demographic trends in the region that may impact or affect recreation needs and demands for the next 5, 10, and 15 years. This should include an analysis of the social and economic benefits of park and trail facilities.
10. Clearly identify number, size, general location, and type of parks and trails needed in each area of the county to meet the identified future need.
11. Present final report to the County Council and Joint Planning Commission.
Implementation Component
1. Develop prioritized short and long term Capital Improvement Project (CIP) lists for existing facility upgrades and new facility construction. Short term projects should enhance or add uses at existing facilities, or provide immediate relief to a community or group that is currently underserved. Long term projects include major construction and/or acquisitions and should consider needs, locations, schedules and financing strategies. All potential projects should be accompanied by cost estimates. All recommendations shall include proposed multi-modal transportation linkages to the proposed sites.
2. Prepare economic evaluation to suggest funding strategies to implement the plan. This evaluation should include but is not limited to establishing developer impact fees, grants, private funding, and ongoing operations and maintenance. Funding strategies should take into account land acquisition needs as well as future staffing and programming needs.
3. Prepare criteria (rating system) for evaluating potential CIP projects in terms of cost, feasibility, needs assessment, demand, etc.
4. Present final report to the County Council and Joint Planning Commission.
SUBMITTAL DEADLINE & CONTACT INFORMATION
Proposal submittals are due October 31, 2008 on or before 12:00 noon (EST). They may be mailed or hand delivered. For additional information or questions regarding this request for proposal, please contact:
Phil Lindler, AICP
City/County Planning Director
528 Monument Street, Room B-01
Greenwood, South Carolina 29646
[email protected]
864.942.8636
864.942.8050 fax
