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Wellington launches yearlong parks master plan, community center feasibility study
Summary
Consultant BerryDunn kicked off a roughly yearlong parks and recreation master plan and community center feasibility study, outlining a community-driven engagement process, benchmarking and data analysis (including Placer AI), and a concurrent feasibility study to assess programming, space and operating costs.
Wellington Town trustees heard a kickoff presentation on May 13 for a parks and recreation master plan and a community center feasibility study that consultants said will run roughly a year and prioritize local input.
Ryan Hegronis, senior consultant with BerryDunn, told trustees the firm will combine data analysis, a statistically valid survey and in-person outreach to produce a “living document” that staff and the Parks, Recreation, Open Space and Trails (PROS) advisory group can implement. “We want this to be a framework guiding the future, representing a unified vision,” Hegronis said.
The study will include a discovery and needs-assessment phase, a community engagement strategy, a gap analysis of amenities and access, and a feasibility analysis for a potential community center. Hegronis said the team will use benchmarking (including National Recreation and Park Association data), site visitation analytics from Placer AI and a statistically valid survey conducted by ETC to inform recommendations.
Billy Cooksey, manager of Wellington Parks and Recreation, introduced the project and said the final plan will come with an implementation workshop so staff can translate recommendations into actionable steps over the next 18 months.
Trustees asked about benchmarking and data access. Hegronis said the team will compare Wellington to similarly sized communities and can produce regional or national benchmark subsets. On Placer AI, he said consultants can provide reports and appendices to the town but do not expect to grant ongoing direct system access; the consultants said they can run multiyear analyses going back up to eight years.
Trustees and board members emphasized community engagement. Trustee Moyer and Trustee Daley encouraged residents to participate in surveys and in public events; Trustee Daley noted Wellington’s heavy reliance on parks for events and indicated interest in using visitation data to understand economic impacts.
No formal action was required or taken on May 13. Consultants and staff said community outreach would begin soon and that draft deliverables and appendices would be brought back to the board for review later in the process.
