Master plans are usually revisited every five years to ensure they reflect what the community needs, Parks and Recreation Director Dan Baker said. The last master plan was done in 2015.
The breakdown
The contract with Dunaway Associates cost $129,340, according to meeting documents. Funds totaling $140,000 were set aside for the contract in the town’s fiscal year 2023-24 budget, according to a meeting presentation.
One of the services promised in the contract was to assess the town’s recreation programs and make recommendations for program enhancements. Other consulting services include:
- Population analysis
- Data collection
- Needs assessment
- Service standards analysis
- Benchmarking studies with comparison communities
Redoing the 2015 master plan, which Dunaway Associates also worked on, does not mean it is thrown away, Baker said.
“[Dunaway Associates] is not scrapping it,” he said. “You’re using that almost as a foundation and [adding] what’s new.”
The biggest difference between 2015 and 2024 is the number of new Prosper residents, Baker said. For example, Prosper’s population jumped from 9,423 in 2010 to 35,410 in 2022 and is expected to keep climbing, according to U.S. Census Bureau data.
Going forward
It will take roughly a year to update the master plan, Baker said. The completion date is expected to be in December, according to a meeting presentation.
One of the next steps will be creating an advisory board of community members and stakeholders to compile resident feedback, Baker said. Focus groups and townwide surveys will also be utilized, he said.
“A big part of the open space master plan will be public input,” Baker said.
