Kingsburg council adopts 10‑year parks and recreation master plan

The Kingsburg City Council voted May 6 to accept and adopt a parks and recreation master plan developed with Fresno State, setting a 10‑year framework for parks investment and making the city eligible for certain state grant programs.

Community Services Director Adam Castaneda introduced the plan and Dr. Sam Langford of Fresno State summarized the outreach and findings, saying the process included a needs assessment, a facility inventory and an equity analysis. "We had 600 plus survey responses," Langford said, adding that the plan ties closely to the city's general plan and identifies priorities for funding and equitable access.

Langford highlighted resident support for parks: "In Kingsburg, 90% of the people surveyed said they value parks as very or extremely important," and noted gaps in the southeast neighborhood and common concerns about restrooms, shade and amenities. He said the plan's preparation cost to the city was "about 33,000," which covered staffing, surveys, public outreach and plan preparation.

Council members asked how inclusivity was measured and whether recommendations targeted equipment for people with mobility needs or programming for seniors; Langford said the survey asked both open‑ended and checkbox questions and that staff would follow up with more detailed breakdowns. He also told council that adopting the master plan satisfies state grant requirements for needs assessment, making the city eligible to apply for state park grant funding.

The council approved a motion to adopt the plan by voice vote. The plan will guide priorities for infrastructure, programming, equity and maintenance and serves as the basis for future grant applications and project design.