Recreation Improvement Database

Recreation Improvement Strategies

Recreation planning includes three major costs: the cost of land, the cost of site improvement, and the cost of maintenance. For each recreational asset that your community wants to create or improve, your budget should include money for both buying the land and providing ongoing maintenance. This section explains what is included in land costs, site improvement costs, and maintenance costs. It also gives estimated costs and key points to think about for a variety of recreational assets your community may want to build.

Land Costs

Buying land is often the most expensive part of the recreation planning process. It is a good idea to work with other organizations or businesses to help share the cost. For example, you can also apply for grants together to support these investments. Consider the following questions when planning to purchase land:

• Is the land in a central location for the community?
• Is the area safe?
• Is the land mostly flat or is it hilly?
• Does the land include water or wetlands?
• If you plan to build on the land, will lights or noise bother nearby homes?
• How will more traffic affect the area around the land?
• Is there already parking nearby?
• Is the land close to downtown, Main Street, or local businesses?

Site Improvement Costs

After the land is purchased, it can be improved with recreational features like trails, picnic areas, or boat launches. Where possible, improving the site through in-house labor will save the community significant costs in comparison to contracting out work. Cost estimations and considerations for various recreational site improvements are available on the downloadable Recreation Improvement Matrix.

Maintenance

To keep recreation areas safe and usable, they must be taken care of regularly. These maintenance costs should be included in your budget before starting any site improvement work. Maintenance can often be performed in-house as a cost-saving measure, but these efforts require regular weekly hours which must be accounted for in staff wages or through very committed volunteer groups. Cost estimations for various recreational site maintenance plans are available on the downloadable Recreation Improvement Matrix.

Cost Estimation

The downloadable Recreation Improvement Matrix offers cost estimations for project implementation and maintenance fees. These cost estimates can help your community prioritize and plan for long-term development and care of outdoor recreation assets and areas in your community.