Council hires Burdett to lead Parks, Open Space and Trails master plan; public engagement and grant readiness cited

The Navasota City Council on July 14 authorized the city manager to finalize an agreement with Burdett Consultants to prepare a Parks, Open Space and Trails Master Plan, a project staff said is budgeted and intended to shape park priorities and improve competitiveness for state grant funding. Staff said Burdett scored highest in a request‑for‑qualifications process and recently completed the Bruley Park and Navasota Center feasibility work for the city. Paul Howard, Burdett’s project manager, said the master plan will combine robust community engagement — two facilitated public workshops and an online survey — with a capital‑improvement planning component, cost opinions and a review of the city’s parkland dedication ordinance. Council members questioned whether the city was commissioning another study without following through on prior recommendations. Staff and the consultant said the master plan is both visionary and pragmatic: it will identify short‑ and long‑term projects, produce cost estimates that make grant requests more competitive and package projects so they can be pursued as funding becomes available. Staff told the council the budget for the citywide master plan was set at $75,000 in the fiscal year 2024–25 budget and that the updated cost from the consultant is about $72,000. The council approved the recommendation and added the requirement that the final agreement form be acceptable to the city manager and city attorney. Burdett will also evaluate the city’s park dedication ordinance and prepare a separate white paper with defensible fee calculations to support any updates the city might want to adopt. The consultant said the plan would also include a concise feasibility summary for the temporary stage and options for a permanent stage at the Navasota Center.