Park master plan up for comment through May 2

The Oakland County Parks and Recreation Department is looking for county residents to review and offer comments on the Waterford Oaks County Park master plan draft that is now available online.

“We are proud of Waterford Oaks’ history as a park where innovative recreation concepts are introduced,” Parks and Recreation Executive Officer Dan Stencil said. “With this park master plan draft, we can develop a vision for the future of the park to be shared by all of our recreation enthusiasts.”

Waterford Oaks was established in 1967 and since then has continued to acquire parcels of land to add to the park. A recent land acquisition in 2009 brought the park total up to 185 acres.

Waterford Oaks features 4.5 miles of trails, a waterpark, a bicycle motocross track, the Paradise Peninsula Playscape, sand volleyball courts, platform tennis, an activity center, a banquet facility, a sledding hill, picnic shelters, a greenhouse, and the Oakland County Market.

“Our goal is to provide memorable, quality recreation experiences for all our visitors,” Stencil said. “The master plan expresses the efforts we are undertaking to accomplish that goal.”

The park’s master plan is designed to provide a clear vision of the desired character and future direction of Waterford Oaks to staff, park users, the public, and park decision-makers.

The plan includes information about the principles and vision that guided the development of the plan, information about the individual facilities in the park, as well as a strategies to support the long-term sustainability of the park’s finances.

The plan also identifies 12 facilities in the park and the role each facility will play within the context of the entire park in the future.

Also outlined within the plan are ways for Oakland County Parks and Recreation to enhance recreational and other uses, implement site-appropriate improvements, and develop improved business strategies for each facility.

Residents are encouraged to comment on the Waterford Oaks master plan draft through Wednesday, May 2. An online survey is available at http://ocparks.polldaddy.com/s/waterford-oaks-master-plan-public-comment, or residents can visit the Waterford Oaks Administration Building at 2800 Watkins Lake Road in Waterford Township to review the master plan draft and fill out a paper survey.

For more information on Oakland County Parks and Recreation’s Waterford Oaks draft master plan, visit the park planning page at DestinationOakland.com.