It’s known as a City of vast open spaces and endless opportunities. With more than 2,025 acres of parks, Amarillo also supports large unique special-use facilities, including four swimming pools, three golf courses, a national tennis center, a BMX raceway and a zoo.

Those big facilities often had priority over routine asset management, and the City needed to identify community priorities for right-sizing the system and building support for future investment. 

The engagement strategy for this City with broad socio-economic differences and diverse recreation needs, focused on youth and low-income residents, as well as stakeholder groups, philanthropists and partners, businesses, voters and decision-makers. All with COVID-19 restrictions in place.

A complete park inventory, park and recreation assessment, operations evaluation, trails analysis and GIS and Urban Footprint assessment of park service gaps—combined with community input—led to new goals and strategies for the park and trail system, including a new investment framework centered on sustainability, equity and resilience.

The framework noted sites and facilities that warranted significant improvements, detailed stronger revenue-generation strategies and reducing duplicative services, highlighted neighborhoods with greater needs, and proposed more even distribution of investment and resources across the city. It also updated the City’s Hike and Bike Plan and includes its first Public Arts and Beautification Plan.

The new Parks and Recreation Master Plan built public support for this prioritized investment strategy and positions the City for sustained success.