The plan has been in development for the past year and is currently 50% complete. Consultants with ISG Inc. began working on the plan in April. The open house was another chance for the public to provide input. The master plan is intended as a 15-year guide to improving the city’s parks and recreational facilities.

The open house event featured display sections on the master plan, including the list of findings from community surveys. According to the documents, 486 individuals completed the Parks and Recreation survey for the master plan.

ISG consultant Clair Roth said this was a relatively high response rate for a community of New Ulm’s size. ISG has master planning for communities in the metro area and said the response rate rarely reaches 100.

“New Ulm is a very engaged community,” Roth said.

Bob and Linda Beck review draft information for the Park and Rec. Master Plan during Monday’s open house.

Data from the surveys indicated that most residents live within a half mile of a city park. German Park is the most visited park in the city, followed by Hermann Park and Harman Park.

The top three priorities for the Park and Recreation were updating existing facilities, growing the trail system and expanding access to Flandrau State Park.

The most request amenities to the park system were community gathering areas, permanent restrooms and improved trail connectivity.

Another display asked visitors which city park should be developed next.

Six existing parks were highlighted as options, including Lakeside Park, Maplewood Park, North Highland Park, Pfaender Park, Pollinator Park and South Market Park.

Clair Roth (center) a consultant with ISG explains information about the Park and Rec master plan to Scott Schmeiling (left) and Jeff Gulden (right) during an open house event at the New Ulm Recreation Center.

Pfaender Park received several votes from attendees.

Scott Schmeiling said his interest was in Pfaender Park. He lives near the park, which is undeveloped. He believed there was potential for growth there, especially with plans for a new apartment building in the area.

Tom and Deanne Romain were also in support of developing Pfaender Park. They felt a park with amenities appealing to teenagers was appropriate. They also cited the recent apartment development in the area, but also pointed to the nearby High School. There were a lot of teenagers in the area.

The Pollinator Park and Natural Resource area also received a lot of support for development.

Local Master Naturalist Joe Gartner said he would support the development of the Pollinator Park. He wanted it to become a dedicated park for the city, but as a whole, he wanted to see Park and Recreation put more focus on natural resources.

Scott Schmeiling snaps a photo during the Park and Rec Master Plan open house. The public was asked to provide further feedback on the draft plan. Visitors were asked to vote on which New Ulm Park should be developed next.

“Let’s shine a light on natural resources,” he said.

Bob and Linda Beck said they supported greater river access, but also wanted to see arts and culture integrated into the park system. Overall, the Becks were impressed with the master plan draft.

“This is a pretty thorough,” Bob Beck said. “They did a good job getting the input from people.”

City Councilor and Parks Commissioner David Christian said he was impressed with the master plan and appreciated the public input. He said it reflected a wide range of interests.

Christian said he was excited to see the projected budget for the plan. The final draft of the master plan will not only include recommendations for the city, but also the cost of implementing those recommendations.

Master Naturalist Joe Gartner reviews a section of the Parks master plan document during an open house event Monday.

Christians said the Parks budget is relatively high in New Ulm, but he also acknowledged that most residents enjoy the park system and are willing to pay the extra costs.

Park and Rec Director Joey Schugel said he was pleased with the community engagement on the master plan because it needed to reflect what the residents wanted.

“We don’t want this plan to be only a staff recommendation,” he said.

As a member of the Parks staff, Schugel was happy to see many comments praising the existing parks system for being clean and well-maintained.

He said maintenance staff work hard to keep the parks clean and he’s happy the community had noticed.

Tom Romain reviews the City Park information sheets at the Park and Rec Master Plan open house, Monday. Romain was most interested in seeing development at Pfaender Park.

The final draft of the Park and Rec Master Plan is expected to be submitted to the New Ulm City Council in April. The comments and input received during the open house will be included in the final draft.

A draft copy of the Park and Recreation Master Plan can be found at: https://checkitout.isginc.com/view/149497738/

New Ulm Park and Recreation Commissioner Jeff Gulden reads through the park sheets during the Park and Recreation Master Plan open house on Monday. The open house featured sections of the Park and Rec master plan draft. Each of New Ulm’s 28 city parks received a dedicated page in the master plan document. As part of the open house the public could review information on the parks and leave comments on improvements they would like to see for each park.