The James City County Board of Supervisors recently heard a presentation on a draft 2026 Parks and Recreation Master Plan that estimated more than $43 million in capital investment needs over the next 10 years, presented by James Mickle, manager at Berry, Dunn, McNeil & Parker, LLC. The plan, presented to the board at their meeting on Oct. 27, developed over a seven-phase process, covers organizational efficiency, program delivery, facilities and financial accountability.
Critical and near-term reinvestment needs identified in the plan include items scored as the most urgent by a subcontractor that reviewed parks and facilities, such as fencing and batting cages at Warhill Complex and the wading pool at Upper County Park. The board received the draft for review and feedback before final adoption, which will be followed by publication of a final plan and implementation tracking.
Mickle opened the presentation by telling the board he was providing a high-level summary of key findings and identified opportunities from the draft plan. He said the last time he appeared before the board, in February 2026, he provided a project update and gathered input on priorities the board wanted addressed. (0:17:20) Turning to the master plan process, Mickle said the project is now in phase six, covering review, refinement and adoption, and that the board would have an opportunity to provide feedback following the presentation. (0:18:55)
The key project components, Mickle said, each produced tangible data deliverables and key findings the department could use going forward. He said the only component not yet complete was the implementation plan, which follows adoption, and described the overall plan as a 7-to-10-year roadmap grounded in community engagement, data and best practices from the National Parks and Recreation Association. (0:19:26) The engagement effort, Mickle said, used an inclusive mixed-method approach and produced more than 6,500 touchpoints. Engagement efforts also included 403 statistically valid survey responses, 536 comment cards, attendance at seven community events, five focus groups and four staff sessions. (0:20:27)
Community engagement and feedback
Among the top themes heard from the community, Mickle said, were a desire for more inclusive playgrounds, continued maintenance and reinvestment in existing parks, more special events and multiuse hiking, biking and walking trails as a top facility desire. Residents also expressed a desire for more recreation opportunities in the lower county, though he said work with Grove since the process began may have already addressed that need. (0:21:38)
Engagement efforts identified the top five facility and amenity desires, led by multiuse hiking, biking and walking trails, with shade and trees rounding out the list as convenience amenities that Mickle said encourage visitors to stay longer. On the programs side, residents expressed the most interest in cultural enrichment, outdoor environmental and nature programs, adult fitness and wellness programs, special events and performing arts. (0:22:30) The statistically valid survey required a goal of 400 responses to reach validity, Mickle said, and achieved 403. Results showed 83% of respondents reported someone in their household had visited a county park in the past year, with 93% rating park physical condition as excellent or good, while 62% had used a recreation facility, with 88% rating its condition excellent or good. The top barriers to use included not being aware of locations at 18% and cost of participation at 11%. (0:23:15)
Program, financial and organizational assessments
Mickle reviewed several assessments that were performed including programs and financial metrics. The programs assessment found the department served 197,894 participants in FY2025, which is higher than the national average for agencies serving a population between 50,000 and 100,000. The department offered more than 3,000 programs with a 96% make rate, meaning only about 4% were cancelled, compared to a national cancellation rate of about 15%. Outdoor recreation and special interest programs showed the highest level of unmet demand. (0:28:16)
The financial assessment found the department’s cost recovery rate at 47.9%, which exceeds the national median and places the county slightly below the upper quartile benchmark. He said the department maintains a stable financial position, and a presentation slide stated that expenditure growth is outpacing revenue growth. He said sponsorships, partnerships, grants and a potential parks foundation board present opportunities for future revenue growth. (0:29:25)
The organizational assessment found the department aligned with national standards, with 16.2 full-time equivalents per 10,000 residents. The department had high employee retention and a flexible internal structure, and the combination of tourism and recreation center administration was flagged as unusual nationally and a key finding. (0:30:19)
Parks, facilities and benchmarking
On parks, facilities and natural areas, Mickle said 87% of residents can reach a county-owned park within a 10-minute drive, compared to about 74% at most agencies. The system includes 17 parks and more than 150 amenities, twice the parkland acreage of similarly sized communities, though park and facility amenities scored 3.4 out of 5. (0:31:43) Benchmarking showed the county’s operating expenditure per capita at $127, well below the Virginia regional figure of $206 and the national figure of $356, while its cost recovery rate of 47.9% significantly exceeded both Virginia at 16.5% and national at 27.9%. The county also maintains 1,717 total acres, more than twice the Virginia average and the NRPA Gold Medal agency figure for similarly sized communities, with 19.7 acres per 1,000 residents compared to a national standard of 10. (0:32:51)
Strategic recommendations
The plan organizes recommendations into four strategic themes: organizational efficiencies, program and service delivery, facility and park service delivery, and financial accountability. Mickle said each identified opportunity was also placed into short-, medium- or long-term implementation buckets. (0:35:30)
Under organizational efficiencies, the plan recommends adding two full-time positions, a business services manager and an assistant director of recreation operations, with Mickle saying both align with national standards for agencies of similar size. The plan also recommends separating tourism and recreation center administration, evaluating administrative and human resources staffing needs and conducting periodic workload analyses, with Mickle noting that the high acres-per-staff ratio was a concern. (0:36:28)
For program and service delivery, the plan recommends expanding outdoor recreation and lifelong learning program offerings, expanding adaptive and inclusive recreation services, and improving geographic distribution through satellite locations and mobile programming. He said the county could likely see a 4% increase over the next 5 to 7 years in residents with visual and non-visual disabilities, making expanded therapeutic programs a consideration. (0:37:30)
Turning to facilities and park service delivery, the plan recommends addressing current critical asset deficiencies, adding an inclusive playground in a central location and improving park access in critical areas such as east Toano. The plan also recommends developing a waterfront recreation improvement program and assessing the future use of historic properties such as the Ambler House and Norge Hall. (0:38:42)
The financial accountability theme included recommendations to explore sponsorships, naming rights and philanthropic opportunities, and to create a parks and recreation foundation for donations, grants and endowments. The plan also recommends establishing a capital replacement reserve to fund major facility and amenity replacements and conducting a fee and pricing review, noting that 11% of survey respondents said cost prevented them from participating. (0:39:49)
Critical needs and capital reinvestment priorities
The critical and near-term reinvestment needs section listed items scored as most urgent by a subcontractor that assessed parks and facilities. Mickle said critical items scored one included fencing and batting cages at Warhill Complex and the wading pool at Upper County Park, with a separate list of near-term items rated as less immediate. (0:41:17) The capital reinvestment priorities section presented a tiered list of recommendations for how reinvestment should be achieved over the next 10 years, with estimated investment figures across three tiers. The list was intended as a resource for the department, which he said has the institutional knowledge and historical context to prioritize items as it sees fit. (0:41:58)
Board comments
Vice Chair Ruth Larson said the survey findings showing residents were unaware of park and facility locations stood out to her as something the county needed to work on, and she asked how the county could better inform residents about its programs. Larson also said she did not see in the report what the county could offer to attract younger residents, and asked whether that belonged in the master plan or elsewhere. (0:47:17)
Supervisor Jim Icenhour said he noted that more than 42% of the population is 55 and older, calling it a significant group, but agreed with Larson that the county also needed to serve younger residents. He described the parks and recreation foundation concept as similar to a 501(c)(3) that could receive donations and direct funds toward projects, and said the capital reserve fund idea addressed a recurring challenge of capital maintenance being deferred when budgets are tight. (0:52:32)
Chair John J. McGlennon said he was not surprised by the high visitation figure at Warhill Sports Complex given the volume of baseball, football and soccer activity there on weekends and school nights. He asked that participation by James City County residents in a jointly operated sports and event center located in the city of Williamsburg be counted as well, and said he had recently received a request to expand the county’s Rec Connect after-school program, citing it as an example of how parks and recreation is called on to address broader community needs. (0:55:17)
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