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82 | IMPLEMENTATION <br />SETTING PRIORITIES <br />Over the years, Lake Elmo has worked to align <br />funding and mechanisms for land acquisition, <br />facility additions and improvements, trail <br />development, and operations and maintenance. <br />Without a formal parks and recreation department <br />in place, however, the city has been unable to <br />develop an efficient process for prioritizing <br />improvements and identifying potential funding <br />resources. The city is in need of an adaptable and <br />flexible framework to help guide the development, <br />improvement, and projected maintenance of future <br />park, trail, and open space assets. <br />The priorities in this plan are drawn from the <br />improvement recommendations identified in the <br />Chapter 5. They are organized into five key topic <br />areas, including: <br />• Parks <br />• Facilities <br />• Connectivity <br />• Open Space and Preserves <br />• Operations and Maintenance <br />Many factors informed the prioritization of <br />recommendations in this report, including <br />community and stakeholder input, the availability <br />of city resources (e.g., time, staff, funding, etc.), <br />and alignment with past planning documents, <br />among other factors. Depending on staff resources, <br />funding, and need, some initiatives will be easier <br />and faster to achieve, while others may warrant <br />a long-term commitment to implement. This plan <br />anticipates the cumulative improvements for the <br />park and trail system will be completed in phases as <br />funding is available and opportunities for public and <br />private partners arise. <br />In the future, as city staff prepares to implement <br />park and trail-related improvements, they should <br />continue to keep residents involved/updated <br />through social media outlets and the city website’s <br />“Park Notices” tab (Home > Departments > Parks > <br />Park Notices). <br />The following pages include an implementation <br />matrix which provides information about the <br />improvement recommendations’ priority levels <br />and planning-level budget estimates. The general <br />timelines for implementation for each priority level <br />are as follows: <br />• Low Priority Level = 1 - 3 years <br />• Medium Priority Level = 4 - 7 years <br />• High Priority Level = 8+ years <br /> Following the matrix is a compilation of funding <br />resources for Lake Elmo to explore. <br />FIRST PRIORITY: PARKS DIRECTOR <br />As mentioned, Lake Elmo does not currently <br />have a parks director to assist in the <br />improvement and development of the city’s <br />park and trail system. Adding this position <br />is the most critical action the city can take <br />toward improving their park and trail system <br />as the future unfolds. Without a dedicated <br />parks director, the recommendations and <br />implementation strategies discussed in this <br />plan will be difficult to fulfill.