2013-040 Adopting a Parks Master Plan for the City of Paris

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V. LEVEL OF SERVICE Level of service is the term used to describe the importance or the role of a park system in a community and is expressed in acres of useable park land per 1,000 persons. For the last forty years, the targeted level of service for communities nationwide has been ten acres of park land for every 1,000 residents. Based on the specific needs of a community, levels of service ranging from five acres of developed park land per 1,000 people to 15 acres of developed park land per 1,000 people are typically targeted. It is important to note that the level of service for parks and open space is based on useable space and, therefore, undeveloped park land should not be a factor in the level of service calculation. Although private recreational facilities and golf courses should be considered when establishing the desired level of service for that activity to be provided by the community, the actual acreage is not typically used in the calculation because they are not owned by the city. The City of Paris currently owns 405.99 total park acres and a total of 234.76 acres are developed. The current level of service for the City of Paris is 9.33 acres of developed park land per 1,000 residents. The City of Paris owns a total of 16.13 acres of total park land per 1,000 people when calculating both developed and undeveloped properties. Grandmother with grandchild and friends at Wade Park 1 City of Paris Parks, Recreation & Open Space Master Plan 2013 -2023 Page 15