Wellington advances parks master plan outreach with surveys, stakeholder meetings and summer pop-ups

Wellington Town staff told the PROS advisory board on June 11 that the town will roll out a coordinated public-engagement campaign for its parks master plan this summer, centered on a statistically valid survey, targeted stakeholder interviews the week of July 13 and multiple pop-up events including July 4 and ongoing summer activities.

The discussion matters because the outreach will shape the master plan’s priorities — from park amenities and open space to the feasibility of a community center — by collecting both broad survey data and targeted feedback from groups such as the American Legion, PSD, the Chamber of Commerce and local recreation stakeholders.

Town staff said the engagement strategy is designed to be short and simple to maximize responses. “How to say how you play — Wellington: have a say,” the presenter said, summarizing the project slogan and the intent to make the survey readable and easy to complete. The staff presentation described plans to pair a mailed statistically valid survey with short QR-enabled instruments at events and to provide pared-down versions for in-person interactions.

Staff described the timeline and goals: a draft of the statistically valid survey was due to the consultant by the Friday after the meeting, stakeholder meetings were tentatively scheduled for the week of July 13, and the town’s main engagement push would run through July and August (a roughly six- to eight-week “sweet spot”). Staff told the board they expect to analyze survey results in 30–60 days after collection and noted the possibility of extending outreach if response rates are low.

The consultant named in the packet, Barry Dunn, was described as coordinating outreach and providing engagement materials and staff said Dunn’s team would attend large events and provide giveaways and on-site tools (whiteboards, rec trailer) to gather qualitative input. Staff noted Brewfest and the July 4 celebration as priority events; the consultant already participated at Brewfest, staff said, and will be on site for July 4 if scheduling allows.

Board members and staff discussed channels for distribution: SmartRec and TeamSnap participant lists, Chamber newsletters, farmers market tables, kiosks at parks and QR codes on park signage. Staff also proposed sending the draft survey to the PROS advisory group for review before publication.

Town staff and board members discussed incentives and targets. Staff said prior events included giveaways (a Yeti at Brewfest) and that survey incentives are part of the plan; they also described a loftier internal target of 2,000–3,000 total engagements from combined outreach (events + mailed survey), and told the board that a mailed return rate above 15% would be strong and 20–30% would be exceptional. Staff cautioned these were aspirational targets tied to outreach effort and event foot traffic, not guaranteed results.

Board members were asked to help identify stakeholder contacts — local biking groups, BMX and skate communities, HOAs, licensed home day cares and other organizations — and to staff pop-up events where possible. Staff repeatedly emphasized that the success of the outreach will depend on getting people “where they are” (parks, games, events) and making survey participation quick and obvious.

The board voted no formal motion on this item during the meeting; staff said they would circulate the draft survey to the board after the consultant’s internal edits and before public release. The presentation and timeline will be on the July agenda for the PROS advisory board’s review.

Short-term next steps staff described: finalize the draft survey with the consultant, schedule and hold stakeholder meetings the week of July 13 if possible, publicize July 4 engagement plans and place QR-enabled signs and kiosks at parks and events to drive survey responses.