At its Aug. 13 meeting, the Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee discussed the next phase of public engagement for Wellington’s parks master plan, including a mailed statistically valid survey targeting 300 responses and an in-person engagement slot next week.
Committee members and parks staff said the mailed survey is intended to produce a randomly selected, Wellington-resident sample of about 300 households; an online survey will remain available but is not statistically valid. Parks staff said the mailed survey is prepaid and private and that the project team will treat the mailed responses as the higher-weighted data set.
Parks staff told the committee that BerryDunn, the consultant conducting the master plan work, has completed a first round inventory of park amenities and will return a revised amenities/map deliverable after staff edits. The inventory assigns scores intended to reflect Wellington-specific conditions and is not a cross-jurisdiction comparison of parks.
The committee discussed outreach to groups that were underrepresented in early engagement, including local gyms, childcare providers and senior groups. Parks staff said they had reserved a 5–7 p.m. slot at Old Colorado Brewery for stakeholder and public participation on Aug. 21 and urged trustees and volunteers to promote the online engagement tools and the mailed survey to increase response rates.
Parks staff described outreach tactics under consideration — neighborhood drives, QR-code magnets on town vehicles, pop-ups at Friday markets and school-related channels such as after-school providers — and said the consultant will extend the engagement if the mailed-survey target is not met. "The goal is 300 people, to respond to that," a parks staff member said. "All of the information is private. There's a return envelope on there, so nothing is it's all prepaid postage."
Committee members also reviewed progress on deliverables: the consultant’s map design is being reworked after staff feedback; amenity edits were submitted for a new draft; and staff said they are reviewing placement of security cameras to aid investigation and deterrence after vandalism at Wellington Community Park (WCP).
In an item the committee described as a positive outcome from recent park damage publicity, former Denver Mayor Wellington Webb donated $5,000 to support Wellington parks. Staff said Webb toured WCP and other town sites with members of his team and discussed funding strategies and partnerships for parks and open space.
A staff member reported that a separate grant application remains pending and that award announcements were expected by the end of the month. No formal votes were taken on master-plan items at the meeting; staff said they will return to the committee with revised maps, survey-status updates and recommended next steps for community-wide outreach.
Why it matters: The master plan’s statistically valid sample and follow-up engagement will inform recommendations on park investments, facility siting and a possible community center; the committee emphasized reaching residents who do not already use town recreation programs so the plan reflects broader community priorities.