Park Authority Board Adopts 2006-2010 Strategic Plan

The Fairfax County Park Authority Board adopted the 2006-2010 Strategic Plan¹ on November 8, 2006, an action which will set in motion an agency wide effort to integrate division level initiatives and operating plans into a broader set of strategic priorities. This is the first time that the Park Authority has used a balanced scorecard approach which sets out specific goals and outcome measures in a variety of key strategic areas. By identifying measures, the Park Authority can gauge its progress towards a set of stated goals over the next five years.

"This marks a turning point for this agency in terms of beginning to integrate strategic activities into the heart and soul of this organization," said Director Michael A. Kane. "Although this marks an important milestone, our work has just begun."

The plan addresses several areas and initiatives which support the agency mission and represent major agency undertakings in the next few years. One example is the continuation of land acquisition. The land acquisition requirement established in the 2004 Needs Assessment sets the goal for 2010 at 241 acres to specifically support facility development.

Another strategic measure would determine the percentage of parkland with active management plans. These resource management plans would protect and manage natural and cultural resources and provide for implementation of the recommendations contained within the plans.

A third example of the strategic initiatives would be the pursuit of agency accreditation through the Commission for Accreditation of Park and Recreation Agencies (CAPRA). This measure would track the agency's progress towards this accomplishment.

The document was developed collaboratively through a series of workshops with the Park Authority Board and staff members. For more information contact Elisa Lueck, Manager, Strategic Initiatives at 703-324-8665.

¹This file is available for download in Adobe Acrobat portable document format. You must have the Adobe Acrobat Reader 5.0 (or newer) installed on your computer to view and print these files.