Metro Board adopts Plan to Play 2026 update, prioritizing deferred maintenance and greenways

The Metro Board of Parks and Recreation on June 2 voted to adopt the Plan to Play 2026 update, a countywide parks and greenways master plan that recommends prioritizing deferred maintenance, stabilizing routine funding and accelerating greenway development.

Tim, the plan’s lead presenter (last name not stated in the transcript), told the board the update builds on the 2017 plan and includes an action plan through 2031. The presentation said the department has added nearly 600 acres since 2017 but that population growth has reduced acres per capita; it also reported a deferred‑maintenance backlog "over $127 million," citing assessments by staff led by Phil Luckett.

The plan lays out three funding tiers. Tier one, the plan’s baseline under a flat‑funding scenario, includes an estimated $188.8 million in capital over five years: about $40 million to address the deferred‑maintenance backlog, roughly $89 million for life‑cycle and routine maintenance, $8 million projected for land acquisition and about $51 million for new projects. The presenter said tier one also anticipates an $11 million operating increment for maintenance, park police and program staffing to support projects coming online.

Plan to Play places emphasis on collaboration with public, private and nonprofit partners, using targeted land‑acquisition criteria tied to equity, conservation and partnership opportunities. The plan also calls for updating the countywide parks and greenways map to shape long‑range regulatory and development decisions.

Jane McCloud of Cheekwood, who gave a preceding quarterly update to the board, described a separate Cheekwood parking pavilion campaign that has raised $22.8 million toward a $26 million goal and said construction is underway on an 18‑month schedule with the project targeted for completion by December 2027. "This project will allow Cheekwood to provide parking on our own property for the first time," McCloud said.

Board members praised the update’s data focus, funding clarity and emphasis on partnerships; one commissioner recommended regular reporting (quarterly or biannual) to track progress. After discussion, a motion to approve the Plan to Play 2026 update carried by voice vote.

The plan will inform Metro Parks’ five‑year work plan and be used during upcoming budget discussions with the mayor and Metro Council. The board noted that the mayor’s proposed budget and Metro Council deliberations will determine which actions are funded in FY27 and beyond.