Determining Malibu's Parks and Rec Future

What are Malibu's unmet parks and recreation needs and how should they be prioritized? The city will begin the process to answer these questions tonight with a public worshop at . A second workshop will take place tomorrow night.

The city is in the process of updating its Parks and Recreation Master Plan, which was completed in 2000. This document serves as a blueprint for the city on what its parks and recreation needs and priorities are, and how the city should spend money to meet those needs. Residents will have a chance to give their opinions on this issue at the workshops.

"It is important for any master plan to succeed, it must be a community-driven model," said Neelay Bhatt of PROS Consulting. The Indianapolis-based firm was hired to help the city with the update process.

The workshops are crucial because this will allow PROS and the city to hear from the residents, but the information gathered from them will not be the only source used to update the plan. Interviews will also be done in the community to gather further opinions and PROS will do a statiscally valid survey of Malibu.

"We often mistake want with need … you need to prioritize based on the community's values and the true unmet needs," Bhatt said.

Once the plan is updated, the will be able to use the document as a guide for municipal spending on parks and recreation projects and programs. Bhatt said creating or updating a master plan the right way is crucial if a city wants to gain community support. He looked to his firm's recent work in Charlotte, N.C., where a master plan update led to voters approving a parks and recreation bond measure.

"The saying is that money always follows plans," Bhatt said. "If I am looking as a community member to spend some money or allow the city to to spend more money, I need to know where it is going and why it is going there."

The workshops will take place at 6 p.m. tonight and tomorrow in the Multipurpose Room at City Hall, which is located at 23825 Stuart Ranch Road. For more information, call the city's at 310-456-2489.