Often times, it is easy as planners to become pessimistic. Sometimes it is easier to see the hurdles than it is to see what lies after them. The obstacles that stand in the way of a brighter future can be overwhelming.  When we initially started working on this Parks and Recreation Master Plan for Lake County (Community Planning Workshop Project), we encountered those obvious obstacles, but we also encountered roadblocks we were not necessarily expecting.

The obvious ones included community push back in terms of funding sources. People were very hesitant at community workshops to increase taxes. People were also skeptical about how the County could achieve the lofty goals set out in a Parks and Recreation Plan. Many people in Lake County also felt jaded by the government agencies and the lack of perceived coordination amongst the agencies.

We also encountered roadblocks that we did not expect. As none of us had worked on a Parks and Recreation Master Plan before, we faced internal challenges as to what type of deliverables we should give to the County. We faced a lot of uncertainty and constantly had new sets of questions and challenges.

However, this all proved to be a rewarding experience. From this project we learned how to harness those push backs and understand key issues in order to create a plan of goals that are realistic for the County. We hope our strategic plan, with its vision, goal areas, action ideas, and implementation ideas, provides a road map for how the County can develop in the future.

It can be easy to only see the overwhelming social, environmental, and economic problems facing communities when engaged in a planning project. With the odds stacked against us, it is easy to look bleakly at the future. However, it is also important to remember the good our plans can create and the reason why we plan is because we see a future worth planning for.

About the Authors: 

Rory Isbell Rory Isbell is from Flagstaff, Arizona and is in his second  year at the University of Oregon pursuing degrees in law and community and regional planning.

Allie Breyer is a second year Master of Public Administration student with a focus in environmental policy and planning. She hails from the great state of Minnesota and moved to Oregon seeking education, experience, and adventure.