Strategic Priorities
Quality of Life ( QL ) continued
The Town takes a variety of additional strategies to ensure citizens can become engaged in Town activities . The Communications Department streams the Town ’ s Council meetings and work sessions on the Town ’ s YouTube channel . This allows citizens to watch and be informed on Town issues from any location . Council also appoints citizens to serve on five voluntary citizen advisory boards and commissions , including the Board of Adjustment , Planning Commission , Parks , Recreation and Cultural Resources Advisory Committee , Senior Citizen ' s Advisory Committee , and Veterans Advisory Committee . Citizens who serve on these boards and commissions perform a community service using their skills , interests , and experience to make a difference within the community .
Garner ’ s quality of life is significantly improved by citizen ’ s access to a variety of parks and recreation facilities and activities . The Town maintains 11 parks , including three community parks and five neighborhood parks consisting of 327 acres of developed parkland with 4.68 miles of walking trails . The nationally accredited Parks , Recreation and Cultural Resources Department offers programs that include an annual Independence Day celebration , Trick or Treat the Trails , Eggstravaganza egg hunt , and a Groundhog Day celebration . The park system also includes White Deer Park , a 160-acre passive park with a 2,500 sq . ft . LEED © certified nature center , and the Garner Senior Center , a North Carolina Center of Excellence .
As the table below reflects , Town residents consistently take advantage of the programs and services offered by the Parks , Recreation and Cultural Resources Department . Data collected from the department shows that Garner residents continue to participate in parks and recreation activities at record levels as the Town continues to grow .
MEASURES |
ACTUALS FY21 |
ACTUALS FY22 |
TARGET FY23 |
ACTUALS YTD |
TARGET FY25 |
Collect and analyze participant surveys to assess interest in new program offerings . |
Total parks and nature participation / attendance |
173,779 |
178,082 |
180,000 |
186,659 |
195,992 |
Number of parks and nature program hours |
67 |
217 |
360 |
287.8 |
430 |
Percentage of parks and nature programs that meet expected participation / attendance |
83 % |
89 % |
93 % |
95 % |
93 % |
The Town adopted a Comprehensive Plan for Parks , Recreation and Cultural Resources in 2020 which is a valuable tool in planning for the future . By actively engaging the public in the information gathering process , the department obtained an understanding of resident ’ s current desires and what they think is important moving forward . In fall 2022 , the Parks , Recreation , and Cultural Resources Department updated the Garner Recreation Center Master Plan to improve the grounds with outdoor recreational amenities . A component to this update was to remove barriers for participants and intentionally provide spaces for inclusive recreation . The plan also identified additions to the grounds which included an inclusive playground , an adaptive climbing wall , and an adaptive fitness circuit . These additions will allow for the Parks , Recreation , and Cultural Resources Department to continue to provide high-quality services and programs .
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