A Comprehensive Parks and Recreation Master Plan will help decision-makers enhance the quality of life in Valentine and the surrounding communities and to stimulate economic activity by providing safe, well-maintained parks, natural areas, recreational waterways, trails and facilities designed to meet the physical, cultural, and social needs of both residents and visitors.
Valentine’s Comprehensive Parks and Recreation Master Plan will be used to:
- Prioritize and guide future park, recreation, and trail development and improvements
- To budget for and seek out additional funding sources and partnerships for the proposed projects
Over the past year, a steering committee with representatives from City of Valentine, Cherry County, Cherry County Tourism, Middle Niobrara Natural Resources District, Economic Development, Youth Programs, Nebraska Game and Parks, the Niobrara Council, the Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Park Service have met together to engage in the master planning process. The group worked together to gather data, create an inventory of current conditions; propose new connections and enhancements to area conservation and recreation resources, and look at specific improvements to regional parks and preserves, land and water trails.
The goal of the public engagement activity on March 15 from 5:30-7 p.m. at Bolo Brewing is for Valentine area residents to contribute their future vision for the parks and trails of Valentine. The event will feature a summary presentation by Kat Shiffler, Landscape Architect with the National Park Service – Rivers, Trails and Conservation Assistance Program from 5:30-6 p.m. From 6-7 p.m. steering committee members will lead the public in an engagement activity using maps and visuals for input to guide the final master plan proposal.
