City of St. Joseph seeking public input on 5-year parks master plan

ST. JOSEPH, Mich. -- The City of St. Joseph is due to update its parks and recreation master plan, a process done every five years.

The city is currently in its public input phase, which will help inform what park projects are a priority for the city in the coming years.

The master plan is also a requirement when the city applies for grant funds from the Department of Natural Resources.

It covers all city parks and public spaces. A rough draft of the master plan is due in November, then it has 30 days for public review, then it goes to the commission for another public hearing, and eventually, adoption.

The city's Director of Special Projects and Communications, Kayla Griffith, said some community responses mention things like pickleball courts and disc golf space.

"When we're creating our master plans, that really sets our agenda for updates, for maintenance, for big projects over the next five years. So public input is super important at the beginning of that process because as we're planning our budget, as we're planning our projects, this master plan is really what's going to shape our priorities," Griffith said.

A digital public survey is currently running through Sept. 15. It takes about 15 minutes, and can be found here.