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1. What is Play Xenia?

Play Xenia is a recreation action plan for Xenia. It starts with the community goals and strategies expressed in X-Plan and identifies more detailed needs and action steps for issues such as park improvements, a potential recreation center, recreation programs, recreation-oriented economic development and partnerships with non-city entities.

Play Xenia includes the following key components:
- Recreation needs assessment
- Extensive public input that includes surveys, online participation, community meetings and focus groups
- Direct involvement of key recreation stakeholders, including policy makers, facility owners, business owners and program/league managers
- An action plan that includes recommendations and prioritization/phasing for park improvements, potential joint-use facilities, and program enhancement/coordination

View documents and more information on the Play Xenia web page.

2. Why does Xenia need another plan?

X-Plan identified a range of recreation needs and potential initiatives. It also recommended that the City develop a Parks and Recreation Master Plan in order to coordinate all of these initiatives. Play Xenia will serve as the City's new Parks and Recreation Master Plan.

Play Xenia is not a comprehensive, multi-topic vision plan like X-Plan. Nor is it a repetition if any portion of X-Plan. It's a logical next step for recreation - now that we have identified general priorities and direction, it's time to develop a work plan that identifies and delegates tasks, develops partnerships and determines funding sources/availability and cost estimates.

3. Doesn’t Xenia already have a recreation plan?

Not a current or relevant one. Xenia developed a Comprehensive Recreation Plan in 1997. The plan, although well-done, is now outdated and it focuses mainly on parks. Play Xenia will be based on current and future recreation needs and will focus not just on parks, but on recreation facilities and programming.

4. Did citizens have a say in Play Xenia?

Absolutely! Like X-Plan, Play Xenia is citizen-driven. The public involvement process included a community-wide online and mailed survey, neighborhood-level public meetings, online discussions, and an open-house meeting.

A Policy Committee consisting of key policy makers, facility owners and funding sources helped to guide the process, Focus Group meetings brought together recreation program/league managers along with those involved in arts/cultural activities and commercial recreation. Children participated via a special survey that was administered in elementary, middle and high school classes.

5. What has come out of the Play Xenia process?

This process has provided a short-term park improvement plans to be implemented in 2015-16, as well as a plan for longer-term improvements as funding becomes available, a comprehensive neighborhood and parks revitalization process for the East End neighborhood, a multi-agency initiative to explore development of a health, education and recreation facility in Xenia and a plan for improved promotion and coordination of recreation programming by the City.