Chart Our Future City of Lake Forest Parks & Recreation Master Plan | Page 6

Introduction
The City of Lake Forest Parks and Recreation Department, in partnership with the Friends of Lake Forest Parks and Recreation
Foundation, developed this plan, to guide park, facility, and program development decisions for the next ten years.
Purpose
The purpose of this Strategic Plan is to:
• Assess existing parks and facilities
• Determine community opinion about services
and facilities
• Identify park, facility and program needs
• Define strategic and measurable needs and
strategies
• Provide an action plan to implement strategies
over the next ten years
• Benchmark Lake Forest Parks and Recreation
Deparment assets relative to statewide industry
standards and against other and local peer
communities.
• Solicit community opninion regarding the
current and/or desired state of Department
facilities, assets, and associated uses.
• Define measurable needs and high level
strategies to accomodate such needs.
6
Planning Process
The comprehensive planning process covers
four key phases: Analyze, Connect, Envision, and
Implement. This Master Plan compiles the results
of the first two phases to develop the goals and
objectives that will be accomplished through
the 10-year action plan developed in the last two
phases. The use of this document will assist in
accomplishing the final phases of implementation
and planning.
The planning process began in the spring of 2018
with an extensive inventory and analysis of the Lake
Forest Parks and Recreation Department’s parks
and open spaces, indoor facilities, and community
context. Staff, stakeholders, the Friends of Lake
Forest Parks and Recreation Foundation (Friends),
Parks and Recreation Board, and the community
shared their opinions about the Department’s
parks, facilities, programs, and needs during the
Connect phase.
CITY OF LAKE FOREST PARKS AND RECREATION DEPARTMENT COMPREHENSIVE MASTER PLAN
Upon completion of the Analyze and Connect
phases, the planning team developed and
prioritized alternative strategies which were
organized into a ten-year action plan. Input from
the staff and a joint Friends and Park Board meeting
refined the strategies and their prioritization.
How to Use the Plan
This Comprehensive Plan document will be used by
the Parks and Recreation Department as a guide to
implementing action items over the next ten years.
The first two chapters provide recommendations
for the Department’s next ten years while the last
two chapters provide supporting evidence of those
recommendations gained through the Analyze and
Connect phases. The Action Plan in Chapter Two
should be thought of as a “working list” that will
need to be updated annually.