Hanover presents draft Parks & Recreation master plan and schedules public input

Aaron Reed Miller, director of Parks and Recreation, and deputy county administrator Brett Harding presented the county's draft Parks & Recreation Master Plan update, explaining it replaces the 2010 plan and incorporates extensive public outreach. Miller said the draft reflects more than seven in-person sessions and over 600 online comments and identifies themes including a desire for proximity to parks, new facilities (recreation centers, aquatics/splash pads), diversified trails, and emerging-sport facilities such as cricket and disc golf.

"This plan does not exist in a vacuum," Harding said, noting the master plan builds on the county's Envision Hanover comprehensive-plan outreach and that implementation-focused strategies are central. Staff proposed facility targets (3–6 neighborhood parks, 1–3 community parks, and a 100+ acre eastern regional park possibility) and emphasized stewardship of historic and environmental resources.

Public engagement next steps were announced: the draft will be posted Oct. 10 and three public-input meetings will be held Oct. 21 (Paul Green Elementary), Oct. 23 (Montpelier Recreation Center & Library), and Oct. 30 (Martha Ann Fields Building at the government complex). Staff expects to brief the Parks & Recreation Advisory Commission and take the plan to the planning commission (public hearing Nov. 20) and then to the board for a Dec. 10 public hearing and potential adoption.

Board members praised staff work and noted programming and meeting logistics; staff asked the public to review the draft online and provide input.