Citizen Input on Parks and Recreation in the City of Hugo, Minnesota (Volume 1 Summary Report)

The City of Hugo was at a turning point with respect to providing park and recreation services for its growing population. Construction of the city’s new Rice Lake Park and Athletic Complex had placed increased demand on the city’s public works staff, and new residents in urbanizing areas of Hugo expected additional park and recreation opportunities in the community. A graduate student in urban planning conducted a community attitude survey and a focus group to gather resident opinions about the need for parks and recreation programming, their desire for additional park and recreation facilities and amenities, and their preferences for how to pay for such improvements. The final two-volume report (this Summary Report—Volume 1, and a Technical Appendices—Volume 2) was used to guide the next steps of Hugo’s Parks Commission, Parks and Recreation Programming Subcommittee, and City Council with respect to park and recreation facilities and programming in the community.This project was supported by a grant from the Community Growth Options (U-CGO) program, a joint project of the Center for Urban and Regional Affairs (CURA) and the Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota, with funding from the McKnight Foundation