NORFOLK, Neb. -- The city of Norfolk got an update on its developing Parks Master Plan Tuesday.

Members of PROS Consulting alongside the Parks Department have been developing the plan for around eight months.

Its goal is to outline potential projects for the city to follow over the next ten years that address and build community-supported facilities, programs, and features within the city's parks department.

To understand what the community wants to see from their parks, PROS Consulting said they talked with over 600 community members and conducted a city survey to identify what residents say are the biggest needs in the community.

"We really did a lot of community engagement," said Will Younger of Pros Consulting. "We looked at demographics and trends of the community, how is the community changing, and what are the recreation trends. We also did stakeholder and focus groups. Right now we're kind of into that what are the next steps, how do we make this vision a reality from what we heard from the community?"

With this community feedback, the two organizations are set to finalize the master plan which will look to address what citizens listed as important such as a completed walking trail, an indoor swimming facility, adult fitness and wellness programs, and much more.

After being presented with these potential projects, some council members expressed concern about the plan's finances.

Councilman Shane Clausen said it was one thing to identify something residents wanted, but another to make it happen.

"I kind of feel like that would be putting the cart ahead of the horse maybe a little bit if we don't know the revenue funding part of it and then we talk about hopes and dreams, but we don't talk about how that comes together," Clausen said. "I look at our budget now, I don't see anything in the budget that can provide any sort of assistance to this program right now."

PROS Consulting said that while they did not currently have a financial plan for the city, they would be creating one as their next step in the master plan.

They also added that surveyed residents had listed how they wanted these projects to be funded and would base their financial plan on this information.

Parks Director Nathan Powell also stated that creating a Master Plan would allow for additional funding opportunities to become available. 

The city is expected to receive another update on the Parks Master Plan later this year.