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39 <br />Early in the planning process, the Advisory <br />Committee was asked to assist in developing a <br />visual SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, <br />Threats) Analysis. The findings from that exercise <br />STRENGTHS <br />OPPORTUNITIES <br />WEAKNESSES <br />THREATS <br /> »Excellent culture around parks and nature <br /> »County and state partnerships <br /> »Many park, facility and activity options, especially <br />for a smaller town <br /> »Considerable acreage for well-used parks <br /> »City is not entirely developed (there is open space <br />for further park + trail development) <br /> »Sunfish Lake Park - a 280 acre natural park that <br />provides a great nature experience <br /> »Lake Elmo Park Reserve (Washington County) <br /> »Tranquil feel in neighborhood and community <br />parks <br /> »Open acreage for additional parks and natural <br />spaces (if the city decides) <br /> »Dedicated volunteers interested in preserving and <br />helping manage parks + trails <br /> »Demographic changes (e.g., population, age, race) <br />in the community <br /> »Park dedication <br /> »City provides varying housing options that bring a <br />variety of new residents to town <br /> »Partnerships for programming <br /> »Aquatics Center <br /> »Outdoor water fund <br /> »Many open, flex fields in the community that <br />could become dedicated athletic fields <br /> »Lack of conservation of natural open areas <br /> »Many areas impacted by invasive species <br /> »No indoor play facilities or water features <br /> »Funding model is developer-driven <br /> »Lack of trail connectivity in some areas; trail <br />connections can be confusing for newcomers <br /> »Not all trails accessible throughout the year <br /> »Lack of city resources dedicated to parks; no <br />dedicated parks department <br /> »Existing youth athletic fields need expansion <br />improvements in order to address capacity issues <br /> »City gathering space for events is missing <br /> »No true sports complex <br /> »Lack of recreational programming <br /> »Lake Elmo Park Reserve <br /> »Development <br /> »Over-development - do developers have the best <br />interest of the residents in mind? <br /> »Misperception of Lake Elmo Park Reserve as a city <br />asset <br /> »Misperception that parks are superfluous or not <br />important <br /> »Climate change, invasive species and natural <br />resource degradation <br /> »Public park space being treated as privately- <br />owned open space <br /> »Continued operation and maintenance of parks <br />for the next 15 to 20 years <br /> »One time-funding vs. continued revenue needed <br />to run parks <br />SWOT ANALYSIS <br />are listed below. These findings were strongly <br />supported by community feedback both in the <br />survey and at engagement events. Key takeaways <br />from the exercise include: