At its July 8 meeting the Parks and Recreation Commission assigned commissioners to conduct summer park assessments and requested feedback by August to inform the fall budget cycle. Commissioners also discussed whether to coordinate with the village’s planning and zoning commission after reading minutes that flagged limited park space related to a proposal to subdivide a church property on Oak Street.

Staff member Mike said he assigned parks to commissioners with the goal of collecting condition reports, photos and suggested repairs or larger capital ideas (fencing, benches, playground upgrades). Staff asked commissioners to submit findings within about four weeks so information can be considered during the budget process; staff said some large-scale recommendations may be deferred to the forthcoming master plan.

The discussion matters because zoning and parcel conversions can affect park access and distribution across neighborhoods. One commissioner noted planning-and-zoning meeting minutes showed concerns about a conversion of a church site into multiple parcels and that lack of nearby park space had been raised by planning commissioners. Staff said that the planning commission contact (Bethany) handles planning matters, and that detailed coordination would be appropriate once staff and the master plan provide baseline analyses.

Staff also said it has begun research into park donations and cash-in-lieu policies and will report back; the topic is under review and no policy changes were proposed at the July meeting.

Next steps: commissioners to submit park-assessment feedback and photos by August; staff to summarize results for the September meeting and continue research on cash-in-lieu and donation policy. If master-plan findings show geographic gaps in park assets, staff and commissioners expect to initiate cross-commission conversations involving planning and zoning and trustees.