news release

The IRC Board of County Commissioners encourages all citizens to participate in planning future expanded recreational opportunities. If you could design the county park of the future,
what would it look like? Would it have playgrounds, ball fields and a climbing wall, or would it invite more passive outdoor activities? What programs should be offered and where should the priorities of County dollars be spent?

County residents are invited to attend a public meeting to kick off the Parks and Recreation
Master Planning process. “It’s an exciting time to live, work, and play in Indian River County,” said Beth Powell, Indian River County’s Interim General Services Director. “As our county is growing and changing, it’s important to take an assessment of our existing resources and identify future needs and opportunities. The County’s initiative to complete this Parks and Recreation Master Plan gives the public an opportunity to provide valuable input which will guide future improvements, support expansion of services, and protect our unique history and
cultural resources. The plan will create a clear path for capital improvements and strengthen the County’s ability to leverage available grant funds.”

The kickoff meeting will be held on Wednesday, September 27 at 7:00 pm, at the Intergenerational Recreation Center, located at 1590 9 th St. SW, Vero Beach, FL, 32962.

There will also be a Zoom option for remote attendance. Join from PC, Mac, Linux, iOS or Android – Password: 002144 https://ircgov.zoom.us/j/81015190167?pwd=bjhqRU4wMXQzNUt0SkRiOGlyM1lLUT09
Or Telephone: 1-866 528 2256 (US Toll Free)-Conference code: 571620

The County will engage a nationally recognized parks, recreation and sports consulting firm, PROS Consulting Inc., to lead the planning process in collaboration with Perez Planning + Design, Chen Moore and Associates, and key county staff. “This planning process is centered on community values and the needs of the growing and diverse community that visits Indian River County or calls it home.” said Brian Trusty, Principal of PROS Consulting Inc. The assessment and action plan are expected to be complete by September 2024.

The County plans to keep citizens informed through a crowdsourcing platform, a one-stop shop for all information related to the project including meeting details, technical reports and relevant contact info. “This is not up and running yet, but we are excited about how this platform works and believe our residents will appreciate the opportunity to easily track our progress,” said Powell. “We really want our residents to help shape the future so we have worked hard to create multiple opportunities for people to offer their perspectives.”

In addition to public meetings, and the crowdsourcing platform, the Consulting Team will be mailing a statistically valid survey to households throughout the County. The team will also be conducting interviews, creating focus groups at a future meeting, and they will assess program and facility needs and review future demographic data, trends and usage statistics. “It is our intention to bring to the Board a comprehensive plan for future expanded recreational opportunities for this beautiful County we all enjoy,” said Powell.