MeckPark Engagement Framework

Charlotte, NC

Catalyst Design

In 2021, Mecklenburg County adopted the Meck Playbook, a 10-Year Comprehensive Park and Recreation Master Plan to address current and future recreation and open space needs for County residents and visitors. Successful implementation of the comprehensive parks plan would require a reflective process that involved stakeholders (residents and businesses) in the planning and design of spaces and places. This prompted the Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation (MCPR) Capital Planning Division to consider an update to the Division’s engagement framework.

Outcomes

The Overall Community Engagement Checklist facilitates identifying stakeholders, funding, project type, best engagement approaches and resources. Links are provided to web pages that can provide demographic information or neighborhood organizations. This checklist also provides a link to the Engagement Plan Preparation Checklist which walks staff through more than a dozen methods and techniques to inform and involve the public based on needs and wants of the community that surrounds the subject park or open space. The overall checklist also links to a checklist which helps identify those that need to be included for initial project kickoff meetings.

Client | Mecklenburg County

Consultants | Park and Recreation,

Reference | Bert Lynn, Capital Planning Division Director