How should Erie improve its public parks? The city wants your input

The city of Erie is seeking the public’s input on a proposed comprehensive, multiyear plan for enhancing the city’s public parks.

City officials are asking residents to complete an online survey regarding the plan at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/6PM35T5, which takes five to 10 minutes to complete.

Renee Lamis, Mayor Joe Schember’s chief of staff, said the city gathered input from local youth about the plan “at summer events and we were meeting with groups of kids… Now we are launching the survey for the community.”

The survey will remain open until Oct. 31.

City officials have Design Workshop, a landscape architecture, urban design, planning and strategic services firm with offices in Colorado, Texas, Nevada, California and North Carolina, to help develop the plan. The initiative will look at potential improvements to the city’s parks over a 20-year time frame.

The city has more than 50 parks as well as nearly two dozen playgrounds, according to city officials.

Last strategic plan is 30 years old

The parks plan has been in the works for several years; the city’s last comprehensive parks plan was conducted in 1994 under then-Mayor Joyce Savocchio.

The city’s parks collectively comprise roughly 385 acres, and the city also operates two public golf courses, the J.C. Martin Golf Course on Shunpike Road and Downing Golf Course on Troupe Road in Harborcreek.

How much will the parks improvement plan cost?

Jackie Spry, the city’s planning director, said the city has set aside more than $4 million in American Rescue Plan funds for the parks improvement plan. The city in 2021 received roughly $76 million from the $1.9 trillion federal stimulus bill, signed into law by then-President Joe Biden to aid in the recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Spry said in April that “the plan will provide a system-wide approach to prioritize financial strategies to maintain existing parks and recreation facilities, expand recreational services based on current and future funding scenarios, and evaluate the need and sustainability of our Bureau of Parks.”

Design Workshop is being paid up to $237,743 for its work on the plan; $187,743 comes from ARP dollars and the remaining $50,000 was provided by a Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources grant.

Design Workshop’s recommendations/a draft report are expected in early 2026.

For more information about the project/survey, visit erieoutside.com.