City seeking proposals for park master plan

The city is seeking proposals for a Park and Recreation master plan to replace the last plan that was conducted in the late 1990s and hasn’t been updated since.

Joe Petrella, who took over as the Park and Rec director in January, said the request for proposals was sent to five consulting firms and is posted on the city’s website.

The deadline for proposals is Sept. 18, and Petrella said he’s hoping to be able to award a contract and start the process by October or November.

The process will involve public meetings to gather imput and also meetings with the park board, departments and the City Commission.

“The plan should create a road map for ensuring an appropriate balance of facilities and amenities throughout the community now and into the future,” Petrella wrote in the cover letter seeking proposals. “The City is seeking a system-wide approach to evaluating parks and open space recreational facilities and amenities in order to develop goals, policies and guidelines along with achievable strategies.”

Petrella said the process will likely take seven to nine months, and the plan will have to be approved by the park board, planning board and the City Commission.

The master plan will include all city parks and recreational facilities but might not include the golf courses are usually done separately, Petrella said.

The plan will be used as a resource for future development and redevelopment of the city’s parks, open space and recreation system over the next five years.