The City of Harrison has a rich history of leveraging natural resources to enhance economic prosperity and quality of life. Harrison attracts thousands of visitors who come to enjoy the high-quality recreational facilities, explore the surrounding natural resources, and enjoy access to the “twenty lakes within twenty minutes” of Harrison. Special events like the Clare County Fair and Frostbite Open Golf Tournament on Budd Lake further enhance these recreational opportunities for visitors and residents. However, the social demographics, economic conditions, and community attitudes are constantly in flux; this creates the need to regularly update a City’s plan for the future of its recreation system.

This Plan includes a detailed inventory of the parks and recreation assets in the City of Harrison and the surrounding region; an overview of the administrative structure and management of facilities; a thorough public input process that involved a City-wide survey, three visioning sessions, and a public hearing; an outline of the recreation goals for the following five years; and an action plan with implementable, realistic steps to achieving these goals.

The goals, objectives, and action plan resulting from the planning process embrace parks and recreation through a holistic lens, looking at the entire community, beyond the traditional boundaries of public park land. Non-motorized trails and connections are of utmost importance, and the City has identified collaborative strategies to promote, build, and maintain these connections with neighboring jurisdictions, schools, the County, and NGOs. The top goal and priority of the Plan is to protect the natural resources, open space, and the small-town character that residents and visitors enjoy while continuing to leverage these assets for economic development and placemaking.