City of Pontiac Parks and Recreation Master Plan

In terms of change over the past ten years,
the top five fastest growing sports were:
• Target Shooting - Airgun (76.7%)
• Hockey (ice) (73.7%)
• Running/jogging (55.7%)
• Hiking (55.1%)
• Workout at Club (50.6%)
In terms of change over the ten years, the
top five declining sports were:
• In-line Roller Skating (-66.1%)
• Scooter Riding (-36.2%)
• Fishing (-31.4%)
• Backpack/wilderness camp (-27.9%)
• Billiards/pool (-26.2%)
National Planning Standards
In the process of determining and prioritizing
needs, it is not only important to understand
the national trends in terms of participation
levels and popularity, but it is also
imperative to compare the provision of local
recreation facilities to published standards.
This comparison of existing facilities to
standard acreage and facility recommendations
is another tool to assist in determining
needs within the City of Pontiac. However,
it should be noted that the latest available
national standards were developed in the
1970’s and 1980’s and may not fully reflect
today’s needs and trends.
Acreage Standards
The National Recreation and Park Association
provides a recommended park classification
system which recognizes that open
space has various functions. The system
categorizes open space as either mini parks,
neighborhood parks or community parks.
The desirable characteristics relative to
size, function, amenities and acreage provisions
per 1,000 people (where available)
are identified in the Recreation Classification
System Table.
According to the population standards for
the three types of parklands, the City of
Pontiac, with a total population of 59,515
(2010 Census), should provide the following
amount of parkland:
• Between 14.9 and 29.8 acres of mini
parkland;
• Between 59.5 and 119.0 acres of
neighborhood parkland;
• Between 297.6 and 476.1 acres of
community parkland; and,
• Between 372.0 and 624.9 acres of
total parkland (all types).
A comparison of the City’s existing park
acreage against the recommended standard
is provided in the Recreation Acreage
Deficiencies Table. As shown in the table,
the City presently contains 7.17 acres of
mini parkland, 52.75 acres of neighborhood
parkland, 445.90 acres of community parkland,
and 505.82 acres of total parkland.
Thus, based on the park acreage per population
standard, the City of Pontiac is deficient
in mini and neighborhood parkland,
but falls within the recommended range for
community and total parkland.
It should be noted that the acreage standard
analysis is based only on City-owned
parks. This analysis is important given that
the jurisdiction of this Recreation Plan covers
City-owned parks. However, several
other recreation facilities, including school
facilities, are located within the City and
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