Purpose of the 2007 CIP Update

The 2007 Capital Improvement Plan (2007CIP) is an update to the 2004 Comprehensive Parks and Recreation Master Plan. The 2007 CIP will guide the development and expansion of parks, greenways, and recreation facilities in Gwinnett County from 2009 to 2013 and will be used to help select capital projects funded by future capital programs. The 2007 CIP was prepared with the cooperation of the Gwinnett County Recreation Authority (acting as the Steering Committee for this plan) and involved considerable public input over the ten month planning period. The planning process was informed by both the 2002 Parks and Recreation Needs Assessment survey and the 2004 Comprehensive Parks and Recreation Master Plan. The 2007 CIP with its prioritized capital recommendations was presented to the Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners in November of 2007.

Specifically, the Updated Capital Improvement Plan does three things. It:

• evaluates the current status of the County's ability to provide service based upon its enhanced array of capital facilities;
• analyzes service gaps and needs within the County due to changes in population and distribution of existing facilities; and
• proposes a refined capital program for the period following the current (2005) SPLOST program.

Key considerations in Updating the CIP include following, many of which are discussed in this Executive Summary:

• demographic characteristics and projections
• leisure trends
• public input
• parks and facility inventory
• provision standards and service gaps
• guidance from the Recreation Authority and County Staff  

Public Consultation

Public Input was received through the five following methods:

1. Public Meetings

• Five open public meetings were held in June 2007. Key issues raised included:
  • High level of satisfaction with Gwinnett County parks
  • Need for connection using greenways, bike lanes
  • Lack of equestrian trails
  • Need for more soccer fields and unstructured play
  • Demand for more parkland, particularly passive open space that can accommodate trails
  • Another indoor pool (possibly built with partners)

2. Ethnic Community Consultation

• Leaders in several ethnic communities were given the opportunity to attend public meetings, participate in a focus group session, and give feedback via a questionnaire. Feedback was received from the Hispanic community; their primary concerns were affordability of leisure activities and the need for more soccer fields, trails, and picnic areas.

3. 2002 Needs Assessment Survey Data

• See CIP Update for further information.

4. Workshops and interviews with County Staff

• See CIP Update for further information.

5. Questionnaires (distributed at public meetings and to ethnic community leaders)

• Questions included:
  • Priority for provision of parks and facilities?
  • Priority on park system issues?
  • How to support or improve parks and recreation?

The following documents are currently available:

• Capital Improvement Plan
  
  
  The 2007 Capital Improvement Plan prepared by the Gwinnett County Department of Community Services with the assistance of Monteith Brown Planning Consultants and the Jaeger Company, is available in a full document PDF, or by sections with a table of contents all in PDF format.
  
  
  
  • 2007 CIP Report - 19mb (full document PDF)
  • 2007 CIP Report - Cover Page & Table of Contents (PDF)
  • 2007 CIP Report - Section 1 (PDF)
  • 2007 CIP Report - Section 2 (PDF)
  • 2007 CIP Report - Section 3 (PDF)
  • 2007 CIP Report - Section 4 (PDF)
  • 2007 CIP Report - Section 5 (PDF)
  • 2007 CIP Report - Section 6 (PDF)
  • 2007 CIP Report - Section 7 (PDF)
    
    

• 2007 Capital Improvement Plan Appendix
  
  • Appendix 5.2mb (PDF)
    
    

• 2007 CIP Report Executive Summary
  
  • Executive Summary - 11mb (PDF)