Any eligible jurisdiction or discretionary applicant desiring to apply for a grant must develop, submit and have approved a local Action Program. The Action Program must be submitted to the appropriate National Park Service Regional Office where it will be evaluated and approved. This is a necessary requirement which must precede the awarding of any rehabilitation or innovation grant. Until January 1, 1981, this requirement may be satisfied with an approved Preliminary Action Program. The Preliminary Action Program must include a firm commitment by the local government to complete and adopt a full Action Program within one year of approval of the Preliminary Action Program. After January 1, 1981, no rehabilitation or innovation grant will be awarded without an approved Recovery Action Program on file with the appropriate Regional Office. Communities are required to submit four (4) copies of the Action Program. Regional Offices and their States are:

The local government will submit an Action Program which documents the recreation needs of the community together with action plans to meet those identified needs. This Action Program will indicate how the park and recreation system will be revitalized and maintained. While the emphasis of the Action Program will be placed on the rehabilitation of deteriorating facilities, it also will describe how the rehabilitation effort is linked to the overall goals, priorities and strategies of the park and recreation system. The local government must develop the Action Program consistent with and linked to the objectives, needs, plans, and institutional arrangements of the community. The Action Program must present evidence of its consistency with the community's long-range goals and plans as expressed in its comprehensive plans and other documents. The Action Program consists of two sections which are the Assessment and the Action Plan.

The Action Program should begin with an Assessment describing the existing park and recreation system; issues and problems; goals and objectives. The Assessment should summarize the entire system including: Operation and maintenance; employment and training; programs and services; rehabilitation of existing facilities; and the need for new facilities. The Assessment should also describe how the park and recreation system relates to other public and private services. The Assessment consists of six parts which are as follows:

(a) Context. The context should provide:

(1) A short description of the local jurisdiction including: population; economy; geographical location; type of government; how the park department fits into the government structure; how the planning for parks and recreation is achieved; and the relationship to the community's comprehensive planning effort.

(2) A brief descriptive overview of the park and recreation system which includes a discussion of: The populations being served both within and outside of the jurisdiction; the types of services being provided; the degree to which the system is available and accessible to the populations intended to be served; and projected changes in system use.

(3) A discussion of the elements of planning, financing, programming, operation and maintenance, acquisition and development, and other factors common to park and recreation systems and other community services and prospects for future coordination.

(4) A discussion of the approaches and mechanisms used for citizen participation.

(b) Physical Issues. Summary information should be provided on existing facilities including:

(1) Types of facilities and the distribution of acreage and uses at different locations;

(2) Integration of park and recreation planning and facility use with other service agencies such as schools, transportation and housing;

(3) Special facilities for the handicapped or elderly as well as facilities which work to mainstream special populations;

(4) Heavily used non-public or quasi-public facilities;

(5) Facilities of historical and architectural significance which provide recreation and are managed by the park system;

(6) Dependence upon nearby recreation resources outside the local jurisdictions, including public and private resources;

(7) Deficiencies and existing facilities and the needs of the community for new facility development, expansion and/or closure of facilities and the effects of such activities.

(c) Rehabilitation Issues. Summary information should be provided on the need for rehabilitation of facilities. This should include:

(1) Geographic areas needing rehabilitation;

(2) Types of sites and properties for rehabilitation;

(3) Importance of rehabilitation in specific geographic areas; and

(4) Value of rehabilitation over replacement through new facility development.

(d) Service Issues. Summary information on existing services should outline activities and needs in the following areas:

(1) The type, extent and intended beneficiaries of recreation services;

(2) Special programs for the handicapped, elderly, minorities and mainstreaming programs for special populations;

(3) Relationship between and coordination with public and significant non-public programs and private sector groups;

(4) Extent to which park and recreation services relate to other community services including joint programs with schools, social service organizations, historic preservation groups, libraries, or community education facilities;

(5) Coordination with Federal, State (SCORP), regional, county and other jurisdictional plans and activities having direct and indirect impacts on parks and recreation.

(e) Management Issues. Management issues deal with operation of the park and recreation system. Information should summarize the needs and issues of:

(1) Process for developing procedures and policies;

(2) Staffing levels including full-time, seasonal and service personnel, and use of volunteers;

(3) Use of contractual services for recreation programming;

(4) Equipment maintenance and replacement policies; and

(5) Budgeting process, funding cycles and budgets for the past three years and methods of budgeting (such as zero based or performance budgeting).

(f) Conclusions, Implications and Issues. This section should state major conclusions of the discussions in previous sections, summarize the major problems and highlight the implications for actions needed to address the problems which have been outlined in the issues sections.

The purpose of the Assessment is to provide background and justification for an Action Plan. The Action Plan, which is the essential core of the Action Program, must be a clear statement of the community's specific objectives, priorities and implementation strategies in relation to the intent of the Urban Park and Recreation Recovery Program and the local government's overall recreation system goals. The Action Plan should be carefully tailored to the comprehensive community goals and directly responsive to the needs and problems identified in § 72.12. Citizen involvement in the development of the Action Plan is required and may include surveys, hearings, meetings, and/or consultation as appropriate. This involvement is essential in the development of goals, objectives and the setting of project priorities.

(a) Goals for the System. This section should set forth the overall goals and specific objectives for the system. Goals will clearly relate to the needs and issues identified in the Assessment and must be projected for at least the five-year life of the Action Program. The goals should be consistent with and, where appropriate, included in the general planning goals of the local government. Where local governments have developed, adopted and are utilizing an overall park and recreation plan, the goals of that plan may be appropriate for this requirement. Goals should be the basis for priorities, schedules and implementation strategies stated in the plan.

(b) Strategies to Address National and Local Concerns. This section should include a description of local strategies for recreation system recovery. A “strategy” defines the total approach to remedying system deficiencies and provides a rationale for priorities reflected in implementation schedules. Strategies should be devised which address the following national concerns:

(1) Ways in which park and recreation plans contribute to, and will be interrelated with, the local government's community development and urban revitalization efforts;

(2) The degree to which park and recreation plans serve citizens who reside in economically-distressed areas of the community and will improve access to park and recreation facilities and programs for minority groups, low- and moderate-income populations, and the handicapped;

(3) The extent to which the Action Program and its plan component will relate employment opportunities for minorities, youth and low- and moderate-income residents;

(4) How the plan seeks to obtain the widest range of beneficial uses of the natural environment and enhances and protects the natural environment;

(5) How park and recreation resources will be targeted in neighborhoods where other neighborhood revitalization efforts are occurring;

(6) How the plan seeks to restore outstanding or unique structures, landscapes, or similar features in parks of historical or architectural significance;

(7) Local commitments to innovative and cost-effective programs and projects on the neighborhood level which augment recovery of park and recreation systems;

(8) How the plan will be intergrated with other Federally assisted projects to maximize recreation opportunities;

(9) How the plan will convert for recreation use, derelict and other public lands not designated for recreation; and

(10) Inducements to encourage the private sector to provide neighborhood park and recreation facilities and programs.

(11) How the plan will seek to preserve, restore and develop waterfront areas for recreation and open space.

(c) Recommendations. Recommendations for improvement of the park and recreation system should be discussed. Each recommendation or group of recommendations should be accompanied by a discussion of the techniques the local government will use to implement the recommendations. Reference should be made to how the recommendations relate to deficiencies, needs, and opportunities identified in previous sections of the Action Program. A brief physical development plan for the entire park and recreation system should be included. This can be accomplished with a map which indicates where existing facilities and activities occur as well as where future developments are to occur. Particular reference shall be made to populations served and indicated deficiencies.

(d) Program Priorities and Implementation Schedule. A statement of system priorities and a schedule for implementation shall be included. These priorities, together with justifying objectives and strategies for implementation shall be presented. Priorities presented will be an important factor in the evaluation and approval of requests for UPARR funding. Active and continued citizen participation is necessary throughout the process. Specific projects to be undertaken and the programs to be improved, expanded, introduced, or eliminated through rehabilitation, physical, service, management, and coordination actions should be discussed. A clear assignment of agency responsibility and an estimate of the costs of implementation should accompany these priorities.

(e) Evaluation and Updating of Action Program. This section should outline a specific program for annual monitoring, evaluating, and updating of the complete Action Program, including both improvements needed in the Assessment and the Action Plan. Citizen involvement is essential in the evaluation and monitoring of the Action Program. Copies of approved Action Programs must be readily available to the public to insure adequate opportunities for citizen review and comment.

During an initial interim period, the Action Program requirements, as described in §§ 72.11, 72.12 and 72.13 may be satisfied by local governments' submission of a Preliminary Action Program. The initial interim period shall end on January 1, 1981. Communities are required to submit four (4) copies of the Preliminary Action Program.

The following information must be submitted:

(a) Evidence of physical deficiencies. A general description of the problems confronted by the local government in bringing its facilities up to an adequate level of quality, the basis for the determination that certain facilities are deficient, and the general level of deficient facilities found within the jurisdictions. Maps and other graphics should be used to indicate where the deficiencies are located, particularly in reference to the populations to be served.

(b) Level of resource support. A summary of the public funds, including State and Federal, being spent by the jurisdiction on parks and recreation. A generalized description of the level of non-governmental support (neighborhood, voluntary and business) shall also be given.

(c) Adoption of goals. The existing park and recreation goals adopted by the governing body of the jurisdiction are to be included. Emphasis should be placed on what the local government is seeking to achieve in its parks and recreation systems, including the population it is attempting to serve, the facilities and services offered, and the providers (public agency or private sector).

(d) Statement of priorities and implementation strategies. Description of the priorities set by the local government as related to the deficiencies outlined above, and the strategies used to allocate available resources over time. Included should be a brief discussion of the relationship of the Preliminary Action Program to other related community development, historic preservation and urban revitalization efforts underway in the jurisdiction.

(e) Evidence of public participation. A description of the means by which citizens and public officials will be included early in the decision process for project selection, the setting of priorities and schedules, and the development of implementation strategies. Existing public participation efforts within the jurisdiction should be used.

Local governments may submit a Preliminary Action Program during the initial interim period in lieu of a full Action Program. The Preliminary Action Program must include a firm commitment by the local government to complete and adopt a full Action Program by October 1, 1980. This commitment must include a schedule for the development of the full Recovery Action Program. The schedule should outline the activities which will be undertaken, the anticipated time frame for the development and completion of these activities, and the resources of people, money and support services necessary for the development and completion of the Recovery Action Program. Notwithstanding the foregoing provisions concerning the use of the Preliminary Action Program, local governments are encouraged to prepare, adopt and submit as soon as possible a full Action Program which complies with the provisions of §§ 72.11, 72.12, and 72.13. Local governments which have already made a commitment to park and recreation systems by establishing ongoing planning, rehabilitation, service, operation and maintenance programs may use these as a starting point for meeting Action Program requirements.