Capital Area Greenbelt Association Strategic Plan

In January, the Association launched an effort to examine the quality of its activities, the effectiveness of its operations, the needs of the Greenbelt Corridor and the health of its partnerships, to establish its priorities for the next five years. The strategic plan was motivated by a concern that after nearly twenty years of operation, the Association should step back and reflect on what it had accomplished, and set its what goals for the future. Becky Schuchert, as President of the Association, set up a Strategic Planning Committee and charged it to prepare the plan with the help of a consultant by November 2010. The committee is composed of the following members:
  • Mike Krempasky , Chairperson
  • Becky Schuchert, President of CAGA
  • Carl Dickson, Director, Dauphin County Parks and Recreation; Director of Parks and Recreation, City of Harrisburg
  • Diane Kripas, Bureau of Recreation, DCNR
  • Doug Reynolds, former CAGA President
  • Kyle Shenk, Conservation Foundation
  • Dick Norford, Member of CAGA

The Association has also retained the services of Tim Poole, Principal of Green Diamond Trails (and one of the founding members of the Association) to act as a consultant to support the Committee's work to develop the plan. The Committee established the following mission: To create a plan for the Association for the next 5 years to:

  • Strengthen itself and its partnerships in the community
  • Protect the Greenbelt trail and corridor
  • Improve and Maintain the trail infrastructure
  • Increase Opportunities for the Public’s Use and Enjoyment of the Greenbelt

With the help of six students from Temple University's Graduate Planning Program the Committee has completed or is working on:

  • interviews with the leadership of the organization to assess strengths and weaknesses
  • a survey of ten other non-profit trail organizations in Pennsylvania and surrounding states to generate ideas for improved practices
  • a review of the Association's accomplishments and operations
  • outreach to all our municipal and key non-profit partners
  • a thorough analysis of the Association's financial status over the last five years
  • a review of the trail including, status of protection, maintenance, capital improvements and trail links

Based on our initial findings, we believe the most important activity for the next five years will be to strengthen the organization by recruiting an expanded membership base of new active volunteers; establishing a strong committee structure to carry out the more complex activities we now undertake; and looking at a more effective board structure for the organization. We need to do this to carry out the important work of preserving and maintaining the Greenbelt. Other priorities we are looking at include:

  • a strategy to establish permanent protection for the two miles of trail in South Harrisburg
  • seeking funding for our most critical safety needs like a separate trail lane on the Linglestown Road Bridge over the Norfolk Southern rail lines
  • development of a formal maintenance plan
  • improving and formalizing a cooperative network with our municipal partners.

Attached is a summary of our work tasks for the second phase of the study which will flesh out these recommendations. The committee will be scheduling a meeting with CAGA leadership in late summer to gather further input and will hold an additional meeting with membership and partners to discuss the final recommendations in the Fall. If you would like more information, or have suggestions about the plan, please contact Mike Krempasky