Chart Our Future City of Lake Forest Parks & Recreation Master Plan | Page 25

PLANNING AND POLICY
Develop and Implement Marketing Campaign to Promote Action Plan Items
• Develop and implement an annual marketing strategy to educate residents on upcoming Action Plan initiatives and generate project support
Description
The ten-year Action Plan includes numerous items that range from small-scale, staff-driven initiatives to larger, high-value investments into new amenities for
the community. While some items are already planned and in-progress, most of the proposed items will require additional time and resources to plan, fund, and
implement. The City of Lake Forest community should be aware of the planned development and available opportunities. This Ten-Year Strategic Master Plan will
be available to the public but a campaign to promote the published document should be made to reach all residents, especially who have not been unaware of
the process. After the initial notification about the report, annual updates summarizing accomplished items, project status, and upcoming efforts can be made to
maintain community interest and involvement.
Develop Focus Group to Determine Needs
• Develop and leverage focus groups of residents to provide insight on community needs
• Conduct public outreach to determine recreation and programming needs of growing and underserved demographics
• Monitor population increases and demographic shifts to ensure appropriate recreation opportunities are available to all residents considering:
• Age groups
• Cultural groups
• Identify partnership opportunities with Dickinson Hall to supplement active adult and senior opportunities
Description
The City of Lake Forest is currently experiencing a change in the community make-up as the number of children and teenagers is decreasing and the number of
adults 25-44 and 65 and older is increasing. Overall, the City of Lake Forest is aging-in-place, the age group expecting the largest increase in population is seniors
aged 65+. The city is also beginning to see an increase in diversity. 5.8% of the population identify as Asian and 3.5% as Hispanic. Both these population groups, and
all other minority groups are expected to increase in population in the next five years.
The senior and active adult age groups are the largest in the City but are served through City-provided services at Dickinson Hall. While not the primary provider,
the Parks and Recreation Department may still have opportunities to provide supplemental services and to ensure that there activities and accommodations for all
age groups at the outdoor open spaces and recreation facilities. As the population of residents from different cultural backgrounds grows it will also become more
critical for the Department to offer a greater variety of services for key population segments. Forming focus groups will help build awareness of the different ages
and cultures in the community and ensure that the Department is receiving input to determine appropriate and interesting recreation opportunities for residents of
all backgrounds and abilities.
ENVISION: STRATEGIES
CITY OF LAKE FOREST PARKS AND RECREATION DEPARTMENT COMPREHENSIVE MASTER PLAN
25