Wayne County nears the end of its first ever effort to establish a Recreation, Parks and Natural Resources Plan, and a public meeting to accept input has been scheduled for this Tuesday, July 19, at 6 pm at the Wayne County Emergency Operations Center, 43 Volunteer Drive, Honesdale.
The process kicked off in 2020 with a grant from the PA Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and the hiring of Woodland Design Associates. Through the two-year development and study of this County-wide Plan, a total of nearly 300 existing and potential recreational sites were identified throughout the County’s 22 townships and six boroughs.
The Study Committee, appointed by the County Commissioners to guide the recreational planning process, directed the consultants to develop existing resource maps for each of the county’s municipalities. This process included meetings with municipal officials, on-site assessments and key stakeholder interviews.
They include existing municipal parks, County owned recreational land, State Forest, Game and Park lands, federal designated waterways as well as cultural, historic, and scenic waterfall locations.
The County Recreation, Parks, and Natural Resources Plan clearly defines “Goals and Objectives,” identifies County recreational planning needs, and recommends local, County, and State level opportunities to enhance recreation, natural resource access, and outdoor connections with the greater region. The consultants also compiled a list of State funded grant opportunities and a clear, achievable Implementation Matrix.
“As tourism and entrepreneurialism are key factors for the economic and social success of the County and are directly integral to the availability and use of recreational and natural resources, this matrix will be evaluated to forecast community recreation and natural resource needs over the next ten years,” the draft Plan states.
The public is invited to a presentation on the plan and will have an opportunity to provide input and comments during the meeting on Tuesday, July 14, at 6 pm. It will be held on the County’s Emergency Operations Center off Route 652 near Beach Lake.
A draft of the plan is available on the county website.
Original source can be found here.
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