In March 2022, the Fremont City Council unanimously and effusively adopted a new Parks and Recreation Master Plan (Master Plan). It had been 27 years since the previous plan had been adopted; needless to say, things had changed since 1995. The City faced multiple challenges along the way. Fremont’s demographics had changed drastically, but the City genuinely wanted to get to know its residents. Fremont is home to a very diverse Asian-majority population, with about 50% of residents born outside the US; it is home to the largest Afghan population in the nation; and it is also home to a large contingent of both Blind residents and Deaf residents due to the locations of the K-12 California School of the Deaf and School of the Blind within Fremont.
With the challenges defined, the City vigorously and optimistically kicked off the Master Plan in December 2019 with several in-person meetings planned throughout the city to meet people face to face “where they are.” A few months later, COVID lockdowns crushed our plans. After multi postponements, plans were finally cancelled and reluctantly changed to virtual.
The new Master Plan was to serve as a guiding document for park facilities and recreation programs that would support physical, emotional, mental, and health and wellness programs over the next 15-20 years, and it was critical that the community help shape the future of Parks and Recreation in Fremont. |