During a June 3 meeting, the Pleasant Prairie Board of Trustees considered and approved the 2012 - 2016 Recreation Master Plan for the Village of Pleasant Prairie. The Recreation Master Plan will help direct the provision of recreation services in the Village over the coming years and is the product of community input and feedback from Village recreation staff and the Village Recreation Commission.
The Village of Pleasant Prairie provides recreation services (separate from park services) to Village residents primarily through the Pleasant Prairie RecPlex, a large municipally owned recreation facility that was constructed and expanded mainly with large community donations and is financially supported with membership and rental fees, sponsorships, and additional non-property tax income sources (Pleasant Prairie RecPlex is operated as an enterprise fund and is not supported by property tax dollars).
Work on the Recreation Master Plan began during 2011. The Village contracted with Public Research Group, a national company specializing in analytic research, to conduct community and RecPlex member surveys, public meetings, and recreation staff discussions in order to identify community recreational needs for the development of the Plan. The Recreation Commission approved the Plan at a December 2012 meeting, and the Recreation Department recently forwarded the plan to the Village Board for their consideration and final approval.
Major recommendations identified in the Plan include: consider revising the organizational structure of RecPlex to focus on the member experience; develop a focus of programs that center on wellness and healthy lifestyles for children, adults, families and seniors; seek to grow sports in both youth and adult categories; consider expansion to the RecPlex for children and education services; study ways to identify members at risk and implement retention programs; and reconsider the role of the Recreation Commission to recreation services beyond RecPlex.
A result of the final recommendation shared above and feedback from Village residents requesting additional cultural opportunities, in 2013, the Village Recreation Commission formed the Pleasant Prairie Arts Council. The resident-volunteer based group will introduce its inaugural event on July 20 this year, a Night in the Prairie - featuring local musicians, food, beverages and fireworks. Recreation staff will work over the upcoming years to achieve goals and objectives identified through the Plan that align with the recommendations above and the community feedback received.