County Parks division to host meeting on open space plan

The Kenosha County Division of Parks is hosting a meeting for county residents and stakeholders to provide information about the county’s park and open space plan, currently in draft form, and to gather public input on the proposed recommendations. The meeting will be from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Thursday, March 8 at the Pringle Nature Center, 9800 160th Ave., Bristol (inside Bristol Woods County Park).

Kenosha County Executive Jim Kreuser encourages people to attend.

“Everyone who lives, visits, or has a business in Kenosha County has a stake in protecting our natural environment, as well as in how the county parks are developed and what types of outdoor recreation activities are created,” Kreuser said. “This meeting is an opportunity for people to learn about the plan for our parks and open spaces and to share their ideas about the future of Kenosha’s natural areas.”

The plan provides an inventory of the existing park system and open space lands, and makes recommendations for park and open space preservation, park improvements, land acquisition and trail and facility projects. The plan also presents an analysis of park and open space needs in the county based on land use patterns, natural resources, population levels and distribution and anticipated growth and development.

Under the guidance of the Kenosha County Highway and Parks Committee, the Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission  has been working with the county’s Parks Division and Department of Planning and Development to prepare the park and open space plan. The planning process was initiated in 2010, and the plan is expected to be completed and adopted by the County Board in the spring of 2012. The draft plan is an update of the park and open space plan adopted by Kenosha County in 1987. It works within the framework of the county’s comprehensive plan and will serve as a long- range planning guide for decisions on park and open space issues, such as county policies, park and trail development and funding for parks. Updating the plan is necessary to ensure the county remains eligible to receive state and federal grant funding for parks and natural resources.

Jon Rudie, general manager of parks operations, said public input on the plan is important.

“Our park system has seen considerable growth and improvements in the last several years, much of which was based on the recommendations of the county’s previous park and open space plan,” Rudie said. “The updated plan provides the blueprint for how the county’s parks, recreation, and open spaces will develop over the next 20 years. It’s an important document, and it’s important to us that members of the community have a chance to contribute their thoughts on this draft.”

The draft of the Kenosha County Park and Open Space Plan is available for review on the Kenosha County Parks website: http://www.kenoshacounty.org/publicworks/parks.

For more information about the park and open space plan or the public informational meeting on March 8, contact Kenosha County Parks at 857-1869 or email Jonathan.Rudie@kenoshacounty.org.