Parks Master Plan: An Element of the Durango Comprehensive Plan: Durango, Colorado

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participation in the City's youth sports programs'. The City Staff estimates that the actual service area of City recreation programs is estimated to be approximately the same at the School District 9R boundaries, approximately a I0 -mile radius from Durango These non - resident impacts are not all negative. Durango benefits from expenditures by County residents and tourists — both directly and through the City's sales tax receipts. A 1994 study suggests that non -city (LaPlata County) residents pay approximately 30% of the City's sales tax, and that tourists account for another 30 %. City Residents pay 40% of the sales tax . While difficult to quantify, it will be important for the City to continue to monitor the impacts, and the benefits, of non - resident usage of City recreation facilities and to make future adjustments in facilities planning accordingly. 2.2 PARK TYPES AND STANDARDS Like most cities, Durango's parks come in a variety of sizes, shapes and characteristics. To make the system more comprehensible, Durango's parks can be divided into several categories, for which the City has adopted standards that are summarized in the following table: TABLE 1 Service PARK TYPE Size Range Area Key Features Mini /< to 5 acres /< mile radius Open play area, playground, picnic table, front on one or more streets Neighborhood 5 to 15 acres /� mile radius Open turf area, picnic area, pavilion if possible, playground, walking/ jogging path, softball/ baseball fields, two tennis courts, one basketball court. Community 15 to 30 2 mile radius Swimming pool, softball/ baseball acres complex, rest rooms, parking lot, open play fields, playground, tennis court complex, several basketball courts, picnic pavilion, walking/ jogging paths, where possible: water feature, natural area, regional trail connections, recreation center. District 30+ 10 mile radius Significant natural areas with natural recreation (hiking/biking trails), large, lighted sports complexes, recreation/community center. 3 Source: Parks and Recreation Department Annual Report. Adult programs are estimated to have approximately the same County participation, although registration by team rather than individuals does not allow tracking of the residency of adults. 4 I is worth noting that a recent study shows that the population within the 10 -mile radius is almost twice the population within the 3 -mile radius! And the growth rate is higher in the outlying area (3% vs. 1.8% for the 3 -mile radius). If this trend continues, the level of use of City facilities by County residents will be larger, and continue to grow faster, than that of City residents. 5 Clint Kinney, Office of Economic Analysis and Business Research, Fort Lewis College, August 1994. 6 Source: 1997 Comprehensive Plan. These standards are meant to be a general guide. In general, the park type is more dependent on facilities than size. That is, some parks may be given a classification due to their facilities and type of use, even though they may be larger or smaller than the standard for their category.