Lake Stevens parks staff present first draft of PROS Plan; board flags clarity and funding questions

Parks staff presented the first draft of Lake Stevens’ Parks and Recreation Open Space (PROS) Plan and asked the Parks & Recreation Board for high-level feedback ahead of a final draft. Coordinator Jill told the board the document is a substantial effort and “a large document. It's, nearly 200 pages,” and asked members to prioritize major gaps or missing topics rather than line edits.

Board members said the draft contains useful demographic and classification updates and welcomed the addition of a conditions assessment, but they raised several concerns that staff agreed to address. Questions included inconsistent spellings and formatting errors, confusion over a national ‘people per amenity’ table, and where readers should find funding and implementation tools. Jennifer said the plan “was very comprehensive and very well organized,” but advised clearer presentation of charts and an executive summary for readers who won’t read the whole document.

Staff noted the funding and acquisition strategies are included in the capital projects and implementation chapter (staff cited chapter 9 / page 91 for funding content) and said they would consider moving or highlighting that material to improve accessibility. The board asked for clearer labels and explanatory text for tables so readers understand whether higher or lower numbers represent better coverage. Jill said she aims to return consolidated comments to the consultant next week, after which the consultant will prepare a final draft for board approval and subsequent transmission to the city council.

Why it matters: The PROS Plan will guide park classifications, maintenance priorities, capital projects and eligibility for grants; the board’s edits at this stage inform what the consultant includes in the final plan. Board members also raised timing and presentation concerns because a clearer plan will be used to support grant applications and capital investment decisions.

Board follow-ups and next steps: Staff asked members to submit substantive feedback within the next week so comments can be packaged for the consultant. The board expects to consider a final draft for approval in March before sending the plan to city council for adoption.