FOSTER CITY PARKS MASTER PLAN
PUBLIC PARTICIPATION PLAN
August 8, 2024
INTRODUCTION
Foster City is developing a Parks Master Plan to guide parks and recreation improvements of existing facilities and to plan for future growth and expansion. Public participation will be vital for understanding and incorporating Foster City residents’ values and aspirations into the Parks Master Plan and for creating champions for its implementation. This document's purpose is to identify guidelines and goals for stakeholder and public participation throughout the planning process. This document is intended to be a living document, and the WRT team will work with Foster City staff to evaluate its success at key points during the planning process.
The public engagement activities listed below may not reflect the project scope verbatim, as it has been modified in coordination with City staff to ensure that the Participation Strategy represents the best possible approach to engage the community.
PUBLIC PARTICIPATION GOALS
One of the most crucial steps for an inclusive, equitable, and diverse Master Plan is to understand the local community character, needs, and aspirations. Thus, the public participation process is vital as it helps build support within the local community and ultimately creates long-term stewards for the parks system throughout the city.
Within this context, the goals for public participation include:
1. D
esign a public participation process that helps capture the public’s perception, need
s, and aspirations for Foster City’s parks system.
2. Create an engaging, culturally sensitive, and accessible process that allows for active feedback while also educating participants about the process, scope, and limitations of Master Plan.
3. Design engagement to involve a wide range of age groups, ethnicities, and races, especially hard-to-reach residents, linguistically isolated communities, and underrepresented neighborhoods by providing multiple formats, times, and locations for the community to engage.
ENGAGEMENT TIMELINE
Figure 1 illustrates the approximate timeline for the key engagement events discussed in this document and how they correspond to the overall project phases and deliverables. 2 Public Participation Plan
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Figure 1: Project Schedule
OUTREACH COMPONENTS
Task C.1.1: Intercept Events + Pop-Ups
Approach
WRT will conduct three pop-up tabling events at key community destinations and events, with City staff facilitating additional events as deemed appropriate. These events will provide an opportunity for the community to learn about the project and provide input in a place where they are already congregating. Pop-up events may include displays, interactive games, fact sheets, and comment cards. These events will be held early in the process as part of the visioning stage, including during Summer Days in August 2024.
Deliverables
• Pop-up booth with interactive boards, handouts, and/or activities to inform and engage the public
• Results Summary (including photos, graphs, and narrative text, as appropriate)
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3 Responsibilities
• WRT and City staff will work together to select the time/location of pop-ups • WRT will develop pop-up materials in English, with translations in up to 2 other l
anguages,1 at staff’s discretion
• City staff will provide one review of materials
• WRT will finalize, print, and mount boards
• City staff will provide booth, table and canopy, if needed • WRT will staff2 the booth and provide engagement materials • WRT will synthesize input gathered
Target Audienc e
• Community members less likely to be informed about the Master Plan through other c
hannels
Task C.1.2: Focus Group Meetings
Approach
The Focus Group Meetings are a key component of the initial visioning phase. WRT and PROS will engage with stakeholders in up to 5 small group meetings focused on specific topics (see list of potential groups below). These meetings will be grouped over two days and conducted in a hybrid format, allowing for in-person and virtual attendance. In addition to discussing the park system and desired outcomes for the Master Plan, we will also focus on how to engage the community most effectively.
These meetings are intended as listening sessions to understand various perspectives on what should be included in the Master Plan; what’s working and not working in the City’s park system; and what they see as big opportunities and obstacles. Another key goal for these meetings is to 1 Our translations will be done using online translation software and WRT Staff with language knowledge if available.
2 If additional pop-up events are desired, City staff may assist with staffing the events
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build project advocacy within the community and open channels to publicize engagement opportunities.
Potential Focus Groups
• Programming
o Sports / Athletics leaders, instructors, or organizers o Music/dance/arts leaders, instructors or organizers
o Senior Programming / 55+ Club
o Athletic Organizations (AYSO Soccer, Pickleball Club, Little League Tennis Club, etc.)
o William E. Walker Recreation Center
o Foster City Community Center
• Events
o Special Events Stakeholders/Coordinators (Summer Days, YAC Spaghetti Feed, Family Overnighter, Outdoor Movie Night, 4th of July Celebration, Summer Concert Series, Holiday Tree Lighting, etc.)
• Youth
o Youth Advisory Committee
o The ViBE Teen Center
o Wednesday Enrichment Program
o Seasonal Camps / Counselors in Training Program
o Foster City Parents Club
• Seniors
o 55+ Club
o Foster City Village
o Senior Programming
• Maintenance and Improvements
o Maintenance Staff
o Public Works
o Utilities
o Budget
o IT Department (e.g. online reservations, wifi, smart parks) • Other Parks and Recreation -Related Organizations / Agencies o San Mateo-Foster City School District
o Foster City Library
o Peninsula Jewish Community Center
• Other
o Citizens Sustainability Advisory Committee
o Dog-owner representatives
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5 o F
oster City Association of Black Residents (and other cultural organizations) Deliverables
• Focus group meeting agendas and facilitation questions • Results Summary (including photos, graphs, and narrative text, as appropriate) Responsibilities
• City staff determine Focus Group invite list and coordinates times and meeting locations.
• W
RT can provide a virtual meeting option for participants who wish to attend remote • WRT facilitates the discussions.
• WRT summarizes the results.
Target Audience
• A wide range of representatives from across the city, representing broad interests in th
e parks.
Task C.1.3: Open Houses + Workshops
Approach
The planning process will include two Community Workshops.
Workshop #1 will be held near the end of the project visioning process and is intended to inform the public on the process and consult them on their park needs and desires. WRT will present boards that:
a) Introduce the Master Plan process and project goals; b) Present findings from the park assessments and statistically-valid survey; and
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6 c) P
ropose potential recommendations and provide an opportunity for community members to weigh in.
The meeting should take place at a centrally accessible location and should include some child- specific activities, food/drink, and games to complement more traditional workshop boards.
Workshop #2 is intended to get feedback on concepts and ideas near the end of the project recommendation phase prior to drafting of the Master Plan. The boards and activities for the workshop will be designed to test the themes and initial recommendations that have emerged thus far in process and position the team to set the direction and policies of the final Master Plan.
Deliverables
• Two workshop plans
• Workshop boards and presentations
• Results Summary (including photos, graphs, and narrative text, as appropriate) Responsibilities
• WRT will provide advertising materials that the City will distribute to various platforms to promote the event (see Task C.2)
• WRT will draft workshop plans in coordination with City staff • WRT will draft boards and workshop materials
• City staff will review materials and provide one round of revisions • WRT will finalize, print, and mount boards
• City staff will reserve location and provide food, drinks, tables, and chairs as needed • WRT and City staff will jointly staff the event
Target Audience
• All community members, particularly targeting underrepresented groups and youth Task C.2: Project Branding, Website + Online Engagement Tools Approach
WRT will provide logo, color palette, and webpage content (images, text) for the City website manager to post as a sub-page on the City’s Recreation and Parks website. The project website will share ideas and project updates with the community and will be updated regularly. We will use the website to conduct online surveys at two to three points in the process, coinciding with the community workshops, statistically-valid survey and/or pop-up events. Surveys will use simple online platforms and may incorporate ESRI online mapping and storytelling tools. If the City desires to use a subscription-based platform, that can be accommodated if the subscription is supplied.
All outreach materials will include a weblink and QR code directing to the website. The website will be updated at key project milestones and will include links to key information related to engagement and content for review.
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7 Deliverables
• Website content, text/images for website updates as needed throughout the p
lanning process
• 2-3 online open-access surveys
Responsibilities
• WRT will provide website content
• City staff will format and maintain the website
Target Audience
• All community members
Task C.3: Flyers, Posters, Press Releases + Other Media Other Agency Examples
Approach
WRT will prepare outreach graphic “flyers” for the two workshops. The materials will be formatted for Facebook/Instagram, X (formerly Twitter), NextDoor, and for printing on a color printer at 8”x11” size, double-sided 4”x6” postcard size, and, if desired, lawn signs. These materials will include QR codes and URLs directing the public to the project website and may be multilingual, if desired by City Staff.
Deliverables
• Two sets of outreach flyers formatted for web and print Responsibilities
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8 • W
RT will create draft materials in English, with translations in up to 2 other languages3, at staffs’ discretion
• City staff will provide one round of revisions
• WRT will finalize and share digital versions of the materials • City staff will print collateral as needed and distribute to local community hubs • City staff will share content via social media channels, City website, email lists, etc.
Target Audience
• All community members, including underrepresented community members Task C.4: Parks Master Plan Task Force
Approach
The Parks Master Plan Task Force (Task Force) will serve as an effective sounding board to vet options and strategies based on their inherent community knowledge; the Task Force will also serve as project ambassadors who will provide updates to their constituents and promote participation in the community engagement events. It will be composed of representatives from a wide cross section of community groups and committees, such as the Planning Commission, Parks and Recreation Committee, City staff, and key stakeholder groups.
The Task Force will meet at five key points throughout the process, where they will be updated on project progress, review project deliverables, and be consulted for additional direction as necessary. General agendas for the four meetings are outlined below.
Task Force Meeting #1: Introduce the scope and schedule and conducted “visioning” exercise.
Task Force Meeting #2: Present the Draft Community Needs Assessment, including public engagement and existing conditions results.
3 Our translations will be done using online translation software and WRT Staff with language knowledge if available.
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Task Force Meeting #3: Review plan goals/objectives and initial recommendations.
Task Force Meeting #4: Present refined recommendations and Draft Implementation Plan.
Task Force Meeting #5: Review the Draft Master Plan
Deliverables
• Meeting agendas and presentations
• Meeting notes
Responsibilities
• City staff will determine Task Force members, invite them to join, and coordinates times and locations (virtual and/or in-person) to meet
• WRT will facilitate the discussions
• WRT will summarizes the results
Target Audience
• Key community leaders and representatives
Task C.1.1: City Council Meetings
Approach
WRT will participate in three City Council meetings, as follows:
• Meeting 1 is anticipated to be held mid-way through the process. WRT will give a brief presentation with a project overview, including the results from the Needs Assessment.
• Meeting 2 will occur near the beginning of the draft plan development process to receive feedback on draft recommendations and priorities.
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10 • Meeting 3 will be held near the close of the project to present the Draft Master Plan for review.
Deliverables
• Draft presentations for each meeting
• Supporting materials for staff reports4
Responsibilities
• City staff will draft and submit staff reports, with WRT support for any necessary exhibits
• City staff will provide one round of presentation edits • WRT will prepare and deliver the presentations and assist City staff in fielding questions during meetings
• City staff will participate in the meetings to answer questions and support WRT i n
t
he presentation
Target Audience
• Decision-makers
• General community members
Task D.2.3: Statistically-Valid Survey
Other Agency Examples
4 Please note: WRT is not scoped to write staff reports. However, reports will be informed by and include project materials produced by WRT.
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Approach
Our partner ETC Institute will develop and administer a Community Needs Assessment Survey that will accurately identify community needs and priorities for the parks, recreation facilities, programs, and services based on a representative sample of the community at large.
The survey will be up to six pages long, accompanied by a City-branded and signed cover letter, and will cover topics such as:
• O v
erall satisfaction and agreement with benefits of parks and recreation • P
ark/facility utilization and perception on condition
• Program participation and quality
• Facility and program needs and importance
• General support for specific actions/improvements
• Funding (general or specific)
• Demographics
There could also be specific focus areas, such as:
• Lagoon access and usability
• Recreational tourism
• Inclusivity (accessibility, all-abilities amenities/programs, universal design, etc.) • S
pecial events
• Social services (senior citizen programs, service choices, etc.) • Art, culture, and history
N
ote that the statistically-valid survey is part of the Needs Assessment task, not the Outreach and Public Participation task; however, it is an important element in our understanding of community priorities so is included in this document.
Deliverables
• Final Survey Report
Responsibility
• ETC will design the survey and prepare the sampling plan, in coordination with WRT and City staff. Three to four iterations are expected before approval. ETC will also conduct a pilot test to ensure questions are well-understood. • ETC will administer the survey via mail and online methods to achieve a sample of 400 completed surveys. This sample size will provide results that have a margin of error of +/- 5% and a 95% level of confidence.
• ETC will analyze the results and will submit a final report to the City that includes an executive summary of the survey methodology and major findings; charts and graphs of the results of each question; a Priorities-Investment Rating (PIR) analysis that identifies high-priority facilities and programs; tabular data; and a copy of the survey instrument.
• City staff will provide guidance on survey questions
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Target Audience
• Representative, randomly selected community members