HUTCHINSON, Kan. — GreenPlay is back in Hutchinson to continue the parks and recreation master plan process. GreenPlay members met with the Hutchinson City Council this morning to give their recommendations and final findings on Hutchinson’s parks and recreation master plan.

“Good parks, Hutchinson Zoo, the Sports Arena, the Dillon Nature Center, there are a lot of really great things here around the community, lot of strengths and staff,” Dr. Teresa Penbrooke, GreenPlay founder, said. Penbrooke said the city is “just doing lots of amazing things with what’s available.”

There are some issues the city needs to address. “Some of the things we’re looking to improve would include having better active transportation where people can walk and bike around the community, also helping a little bit with nutrition because that will help to make food available, helping make educational campaigns on that type of thing and addressing social equity,” Penbrooke said. Penbrooke clarified that she was talking about trails and sidewalks as forms of transportation to ensure everyone, no matter their income level, can participate in these amenities.

They also talked of developing an adventure park near Fun Valley, but if and when that might come to pass would be in the city’s future.

In addition to the Hutchinson City Council and recreation commission leaders, GreenPlay also met with community stakeholders and health investors to share final findings and recommendations.

GreenPlay also held a public meeting over these findings at the Shears Technology Center on the HutchCC campus.

This is one of the final steps in the parks and recreation master plan process, which started late last fall with community meetings, surveys, interviews, and analysis of Hutchinson city parks, facilities, and recreation programs.

Funding for the master plan project was made possible by the Pathways to a Healthy Kansas Initiative from Blue Cross Blue Shield of Kansas.