Gig Harbor Parks & Rec
If you reside in the Pacific Northwest, you probably love the outdoors and communing with nature. You did choose to live in a rainforest!
In a world that is rapidly becoming more entwined in technology, we crave breaks from our screens. Sometimes we forget that we are nature. That’s why when we step outside, take a deep breath, walk on a trail or paddle out on the water, we feel truly connected to ourselves and the community around us.
Our parks.
Washington State’s population is growing. However, the Puget Sound Regional Council projects that the district’s residential population will slow and stabilize starting in 2020 with approximately 41,000 residents in 2025. With our latest growth, there is an even greater need for diverse recreational opportunities in regional parks, neighborhood parks, open spaces, special use facilities and trail corridors.
Nationally, the Society of Outdoor Recreational Professionals (SORP) is an organization that serves recreation professionals in research, planning, management and policy development. Their values mirror our own: people, community, collaboration, sustainable recreation and professional development.
Their planning principles rely on a systems approach; considering how resources fit into a larger regional system. Employing this macro/micro approach, recreational professionals look at impact, stewardship, compatibility, capacity, diversity and resource legacy to create intentional spaces for today and the future.
What gets built successfully without a great plan?
Parks districts develop comprehensive plans both for the natural environment as well as the built. These plans take at least a year to create and aim to guide five years or more in advance. Public input is important and necessary for successful implementation.
Mixes of groups provide outdoor recreation parks and facilities in our area: federal, state, local, tribal, non-profit and private companies. The City of Gig Harbor manages over twenty sites that provide opportunities from passive recreation through full-on activity zones. PenMet Parks, also located on the Gig Harbor Peninsula, provides approximately 250 acres of developed parks and over 421 acres of undeveloped open space.
In February of this year, after a year of development, PenMet Parks published their District Comprehensive Plan. If you think you know everything about Gig Harbor, think again. This valuable document explains so much and is available online at: penmetparks.org
Wondering how to get more involved?
Becoming a stakeholder in the comprehensive process allows you to participate in the planning process before decisions and plans are complete. Don’t be scared off by the term stakeholder. If you are a person with a passion, interest, concern or slightly-to-very opinionated, you too can be a stakeholder.
For the commitment-phobic, attending public meetings is a very effective way to stay on top of what is currently happening in the district. You may sit there quietly, listen and observe, or be bold and voice your interests.
If you can’t possibly find the time to sit on a committee or go to any meetings, reading up on plans online, signing up for email blasts or following social media will keep you in the know. When the urge reveals itself, call in by phone or write to the organization about your passionate pleas.
Start by finding out what organizations are running the parks you are passionate about. Have you thought about improvements you would like to see at these sites, or have a site in mind that could become a great public space? Speak up.
You are nature, embrace the connection and dream of your next outdoor adventure.
