Summit Metro Parks is a large park district in Northeast Ohio with a mission focused on both conservation of natural resources and connecting people to nature. Key elements that define Summit Metro Parks are:

• 16,000 acres of natural areas including representation of Summit County’s highest quality habitats, 
• More than 100 different rare & endangered plant and animal species,
• 16 parks and three nature centers,
• 150 miles of trails 
• 700 picnic sites, 10 open-air shelters & six lodges
• 7 fishing areas 
• District-wide attendance averages 5 million visits per year 

The park district reached out to Sustainable Economies Consulting to facilitate their strategic planning process, and Springboard Communications for their depth of experience in communications and equitable stakeholder engagement.

In collaboration with the Summit Metro Parks team, the consultants developed a comprehensive scope of work that included:

• Two rounds of stakeholder engagement with partner organizations and Board members. We included interviews, focus groups and a virtual round table to help improve accessibility of the engagement.
• Two rounds of engagement with SMP staff and extensive engagement and collaboration with all senior staff.
• Seven listening sessions with county residents.
• Assessment of the county, including opportunities and challenges over a 100-year time frame.
• A rapid assessment of organizational culture.
• A goal setting retreat.
• Development of strategies and metrics
• Development and launch of a final, graphic designed strategic plan

To increase accessibility to the resident listening session, the consultants included an Accessibility Fund that was used to purchase food and gift cards, and also included support for partner organizations who co-hosted these sessions. Partner organizations who helped co-host the listening sessions included Akron Urban League, Tinker’s Creek Watershed Partners, North Hill CDC, and Akron’s North Hill Branch Library.

The process has been a huge success, resulting in:

• An updated set of values
• An 100-year vision
• A strategic plan with 25-year and 5-year goals
• A targeted suite of strategies to achieve each 5-year goal
• At least 2 key results or metrics per strategy
• A final strategic plan that is actionable and adaptable

Accountability was built into the process by clearly assigning responsibility parties to oversee the goals and strategies. Clear communications were built into each step of the process. We engaged approximately 250 stakeholders in the process. Here’s the 100-year vision the SMP team is working to accomplish:

Vision: Our natural areas, people and communities will forever be connected and thriving, because our lands are cared for by passionate stewards.