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City engineer reports progress and costs for Milton Park & Preserve and Legacy Park upgrades
Summary
City staff reported the Milton City Park & Preserve passive-park construction is about 25% complete under a $1.5 million DNR grant; the active-park conceptual design is estimated at $2.6 million; Legacy Park parking and drainage options are concepted at about $804,000.
City engineering staff told the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board on March 20 that work at Milton City Park & Preserve (the passive park) is underway and that the active-park design and Legacy Park improvements both require further value engineering and public engagement.
Scott Cottrell, city engineer, said the passive-park construction (MCPP Passive Park) is roughly 25% complete. Work done so far includes drainage repairs near phase 1, removal of old golf-cart paths (concrete to be recycled as subbase for new trails), removal of invasive plant species, and construction of boardwalks near the southern ponds. Cottrell said some large outfall structures and weirs are being completed and that plantings around the southern ponds will be installed in early April. The passive-park work is tied to a Georgia Department of Natural Resources grant for $1,500,000 and must be complete by August 2025 to meet grant terms.
For the Milton City Park & Preserve active park, the city retained a consultant for a 30% conceptual design. The conceptual cost estimate returned at $2,600,000, higher than staff anticipated; the scope included replacing the existing parking lot, resurfacing or replacing tennis courts, adding playground space, improving drainage, relocating vehicle ingress/egress to improve site distances, and installing new lighting and an observation area for tennis. Cottrell said staff is pursuing value engineering and that red-line plan comments will be resolved with the consultant before a public rollout of a revised concept.
Legacy Park improvements — scoped to replace a parking lot, enhance drainage/detention, add a separate Arnold Mill Road access and increase parking, and provide maintenance security and restroom infrastructure — showed a conceptual cost of about $804,000. Staff said they will investigate options such as gravel overflow parking and retaining strategies to reduce cost and limit extensive retaining walls.
Cottrell noted an approximate 3–4 to 1 cost ratio for underground stormwater detention compared with above-ground detention as a planning benchmark. The board asked for a refined parking count for Legacy and further prioritization of active-park elements; Cottrell said staff is working with the parks director to set priorities and will return with more specific numbers and a public meeting schedule.
