ITHACA — In a public meeting held Wednesday, the City of Ithaca presented their findings and draft recommendations for the 2017 Parks and Recreation Master Plan.

Using a combination of focus groups and online surveys, the community consulting firm picked out commonly desired changes that people in Ithaca and the surrounding cities were most interested in. This included a desire for more public restrooms around the city, restoring lakefront parks, a program space for special events, and more. These areas were within the facilities portion of the draft recommendations, along with suggestions to develop a parks governance model and establish design maintenance standards.

Planners also noted the importance of financing these endeavors, especially in establishing an earned income strategy for parks. A draft of the plan will be formalized by the City of Ithaca in the next two months.