02 Oct City of Yuma ask residents to fill out survey for Yuma’s park & rec

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YUMA — The City of Yuma is in the process of developing a Parks, Arts, Recreation, and Trails (PART) Master Plan, which will serve as a ten-year guide and strategic plan for managing and enhancing Yuma’s parks and recreation services, amenities, and facilities. The first step in the process is gathering resident input through a community survey.
“The ultimate purpose of this plan is to produce a holistic 10-year plan for everything under the Parks and Recreation umbrella – that includes programming, amenities, parks and facilities,” explained Director of Parks and Recreation Eric Urfer.
The PART Master Plan is intended to do the following for the City of Yuma’s Parks and Recreation Department:
• Set long-range goals and prioritize projects.
• Identify funding and budget needs.
• Identify facility and programming gaps.
• Establish a plan for park amenity and recreation program life cycles.
This survey, along with upcoming in-person community engagement sessions and pop-up events, will help the City prepare a master plan for Parks and Recreation.
Approximately 4,000 randomly selected Yuma residents will receive a survey by mail. Each survey comes with the option to either mail it back or to use the QR code on the mailer to complete the survey online.
In addition to the paper survey, all residents are invited to complete the survey electronically starting early October. The survey will close Dec. 10.
“We are hoping the survey responses will clarify what the community’s priorities are,” said Assistant Director of Parks and Recreation Kami Ellsworth.
An online survey will be available to the public in approximately one week. The City will post reminders on the City’s website and social media, and will encourage participation during Yuma’s fall and winter events.
Additionally, the master plan team will gather feedback through discussions with stakeholders, such as athletic associations, the bicycle coalition, arts groups, school districts, the Yuma City Council, and other organized groups that are already utilizing parks and recreation services on a regular basis.
“Look for our Parks, Arts, Recreation and Trails tent at events such as Tacos and Tunes, the Winter Visitor Bash, Art in the Park and more,” Urfer said.
Another round of surveys and community engagement sessions will take place in spring 2024. These discussions will focus on refining and prioritizing concepts that are based on the information gathered during the first round of public input.
For more information on the survey and Parks, Arts, Recreation and Trails Master Plan, email yumapartmasterplan@yumaaz.gov.