With thousands of homes just waiting to be built, the City of Lathrop is drastically changing.

And city is looking the public’s input to help draft a document that will shape the way that the city will provide facilities and amenities suitable for a mid-sized California city. 

On Friday, Dec. 13, at the Lathrop Senior Center located at 15707 Fifth Street, the City of Lathrop will formally kick-off the process of creating the city’s first ever Parks and Recreation Master Plan – inviting the public to come and provide their input on the process and to gather input into the types of amenities that the public would like to see as the city works to accommodate the influx of new residents.

The meeting is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m.

“The Parks and Recreation Master Plan will serve as a guide to help ensure the balance of facilities, amenities, and services throughout the community,” Parks and Recreation Director Zachary Jones wrote in a release about the upcoming meeting. “Our team will look at the existing parks, recreational facilities, programs and services, and determine the current and future level of service for the community based on public input.

“Overall, the objective of the plan will be to prioritize the needs and desires for upgrading the existing parks and recreational facilities, planning for future facilities, as well as a thorough review of recreation programs and services.”

While some master-planned communities like River Islands have gone to great lengths to provide recreational opportunities for residents – the construction of lighted soccer fields even on a temporary basis, for example, or the construction of a baseball stadium complete with lights and stadium seating – the city has worked to try and provide first-class amenities both in the new developments and in existing neighborhoods regardless of which side of I-5 the residence happens to be on.

Much the same way the city has contracted with an independent consultant to help update the city’s general plan – the document that will serve a steering guide for future development – they are contracting to ensure that the recreation master plan process goes smoothly. GreenPlay LLC, a nationally-known parks and recreation management consulting firm, will oversee all facets of the plan from information gathering to the drafting of the document that will ultimately be brought to the Lathrop City Council for consideration and adoption.

And while the document, which will provide guidance for future councils as to what the city needs as it grows, will aim to ensure that the city keeps up with providing amenities and facilities to resident, it will also include a needs assessment survey that will help provide insight into the types of facilities and amenities are desired by residents, identify which funding sources and potential partnerships may be available, and how best to support the recreational needs of the community.

For more information, contact the City of Lathrop’s Parks and Recreation Department at 209.941.7370.

To contact reporter Jason Campbell email jcampbell@mantecabulletin.com or call 209.249.3544.