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Parks master plan presented; board asks advisory panel to refine two site options
Summary
Hill Studio presented a draft county parks and recreation master plan built from community outreach and site analysis. The board asked staff and the advisory committee to review two site-specific options and return for final adoption on April 1.
Consultant Hill Studio presented Amherst County’s draft parks and recreation master plan, summarizing a year of outreach, site visits and concept development and asking the board to review the draft before the plan returns for adoption.
Catherine Packer of Hill Studio described public engagement in 2023–24 that included pop-up events, an online mapping survey and focus groups; the consultant reported 166 completed survey responses and more than 500 touchpoints at in-person events. Packer said the plan emphasizes improving accessibility, developing unique identities for individual parks, expanding trails and recreation offerings, and adding cultural and educational interpretation along county parks and newly acquired properties.
Randy Nixon (Hill City Studios) and Hill Studio staff noted two specific choices in the draft that the parks advisory board will weigh: (1) whether to keep the county convenience/recycling center in its current location inside Coolwell Park and design the park around it, or (2) to relocate the convenience center and devote that parcel to expanded recreation. The consultant provided illustrative concept maps, estimated costs for proposed amenities, and suggested priority phasing and potential funding sources. The consultant asked the board for written comments and said the plan would return for approval on April 1.
Board members asked the consultant to incorporate regional trail assets — speakers specifically mentioned the Blue Ridge Veil Trail and the Appalachian Trail connections — and to consider the future of an aging historic house adjacent to one park. The board did not adopt the plan at the meeting; staff said the parks board will vote on its advisory recommendation before the April meeting.
What’s next: County staff will accept written comments, the parks advisory board will review options and vote at a meeting (noted as occurring the Monday after the presentation), and Hill Studio will return with a final draft for board consideration on April 1.
