City of Darlington Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan

Vierbicher worked with City staff to update the City of Darlington Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan to enable them to apply for DNR funding.

This work included updated evaluations of all City-owned park spaces as well as a public input session to allow residents and park users to share ideas for park improvements or additions in the coming years. Vierbicher worked with the City’s Park and Recreation department to assess current maintenance spending and predict how planned improvements might affect the maintenance budget, as well as identify potential funding sources for upcoming projects.

A well thought out CORP is also important to the City because it will allow the City to pursue recreation-oriented grants to improve the park and open space system. In an era of property tax limits and increasing competition for funds, a well thought out CORP can make a difference in securing the funding necessary to implement park improvements. In a city like Darlington, making the most of existing open spaces is critical to achieving a park system that the entire community is proud of.

Vierbicher has experience in planning for park systems and experience with facilitating the public input that is an important part of any CORP process. One of our core goals is to work with communities to help develop achievable goals and strategies to benefit long-term health. Supporting outdoor activity is a growing part of our focus.