Five-year Master Plan now under development

By Jim Newell
Review Editor
ORION TWP. — Orion Township is “Where Living is a Vacation” and the Orion Township Parks & Recreation Department wants to live up to that motto while developing a new five-year Master Plan.
Parks & Recreation Director Aaron Whatley hopes that everyone in Orion Township takes the survey so that the department gets the most comprehensive input possible.
“We’re looking for the community to tell us what they want us to do. And that really gives us a clear road map on the direction that the department will be taking,” Whatley said. “I’m hoping by the end of 2023 to have a plan.”
The survey takes about 15 minutes and will help the parks and recreation department understand residents’ priorities and funding preferences. Questions include how important certain aspects of the parks are to residents, how frequently families participate in recreational activities, what new amenities residents would like to see added to the parks and what programs residents want added to the parks and recreation docket.
Whatley said he cannot understate the value of the survey and public input in developing the parks and recreation department’s five-year master plan.
“The master plan process is a great way for the community to give input on the direction they want us to go,” Whatley said. “It really doesn’t make our job easy, but it really does because it gives us such clear guidance on what the community wants for capital outlay for programming, where our demographics are going, where the trends are going. Literally, it just lays it all out for us and it’s our responsibility to follow the plan with the resources we have to make things work.”
Residents can take the Orion Township Parks & Recreation Master Plan by scanning the QR code or by going to orionparks.com for a link to take the survey.
“We really want to get it out there and ask the important questions right off the bat,” Whatley said. “What we really want is public input. We are community servants and so what the community wants we will do our best to accomplish without leaving a costly legacy price.”
In November 2022, more than 60 percent of Orion Township voters supported a millage renewal request for Orion Township Parks & Recreation, approving a five-year tax levy. The funds will go toward operation, programming, equipment, facilities, personnel, maintenance, acquisition, capital improvements and all related costs of the department.
In 2018, residents approved a five-year, 1-mill Orion Township Parks & Recreation Department millage, with 57 percent of voters supporting the millage.
The parks and recreation department is currently finishing up its five-year master plan projects that began in 2019. The new master plan will begin in 2024 and run through 2029. The department hopes to complete 94 percent of the projects and renovations from its current five-year master plan by the end of the year.
“We’ve been very blessed over the past few years to be able to accomplish so many tasks,” Whatley said, adding the department also has gotten ARPA funds and grants to help “get the most bang for our buck.”
Projects the department has completed include an ice rink, new playground equipment and an adult obstacle course at Civic Center Park; new pickleball courts at Friendship Park; a beach and swimming area expansion at Camp Agawam; and pavilion renovations at several of the township’s parks.
There are also plans to develop a kayak launch at Tommy’s Lake in Camp Agawam and renovate the Peterson Lodge, and hopefully install sand volleyball courts at Civic Center Park this Fall.
“We do a really great job with our kids and programming for youth. But our senior population, our aging population is growing exponentially, and our teens,” Whatley said. “Those are the two areas in our community that are really growing exponentially and it’s something that we lack. We’re going to look at everything, but those are two areas that we’re going to look at pretty heavily to make sure that we can provide amenities and resources.”