PRESS RELEASE – FOR IMMEDIATE DISTRIBUTION
November 17, 2021
Kiah Patzkowsky, PRSA Coordinator
Christie Voos, Communications Analyst
UPPER VALLEY PRSA ANNOUNCES RECREATIONAL
NEEDS ASSESSMENT FINDINGS
The Upper Valley Park & Recreation Service Area (PRSA), in conjunction with the City of Leavenworth, today released findings from the PRSA recreational needs assessment. The findings report highlights community priorities for recreational investments and improvements in the Upper Valley.
Needs assessment outreach took place from June through September of this year, and included public outreach at the Leavenworth Community Farmers Market, an open house meeting, stakeholder interviews with a variety of community organization representatives, and a statistically valid survey administered to randomly selected households in the Upper Valley. Feedback was also provided from the Peshastin Community Council, and comments were received via email.
Key needs assessment recommendations include expanding a network of shared-use (walking/hiking/biking) paths to connect Upper Valley neighborhoods and communities, and expanding access to the community pool for year-round, more inclusive access. Survey respondents indicated that they would be most willing to fund these two facility improvement priorities. A new recreation/community center also had strong support from community members.
Programming investments that the community voiced strong support for include more outdoor concerts and movies, adult fitness, wellness and arts cultural programs, and additional exercise classes.
The needs assessment was conducted by AHBL, Inc., a Pacific Northwest civil engineering firm with extensive experience in community planning and engagement, including multiple recreational needs assessment projects with communities across Washington State. ETC Institute conducted the statistically valid community survey portion of the needs assessment.
Next steps for the Upper Valley PRSA include continued work with AHBL, Inc. to develop conceptual projects for some of the high-priority recommendations and to include estimated scope, costs, and forecasted benefits to the community. The PRSA will use findings from this needs assessment to help guide how best to continue to serve the recreational needs of the Upper Valley community.
The PRSA, a Special Purpose District which is governed by a volunteer board representing Chelan County, the City of Leavenworth, Peshastin Community Council, the Chumstick community, and Cascade School District #228, was originally established in 1997 to fund the reconstruction of the community pool in Leavenworth. PRSA residents continue to fund the majority of maintenance and operational costs of the pool via an Operations & Maintenance levy, the most recent of which expires in 2024.
The Upper Valley PRSA recreational needs assessment findings can be found online at https://cityofleavenworth.com/your-city-hall/upper-valley-park-recreation-service-area/ and https://cityofleavenworth.com/documents/category/prsa/needs-assessment/.
For more Information/ para más información, contact us at [email protected].
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