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Rec‑field concept plan presented; planning board urges master‑plan tie‑in
Summary
Recreation director Jeremy Phillips presented a concept plan to improve Tamworth’s rec field—upgrading fields, adding a pavilion, trails, a bike skills area and pickleball courts. Planning board members recommended anchoring any grant effort in an updated master‑plan recreation chapter and emphasized community listening sessions before spending.
Jeremy Phillips presented a concept plan at the May 12 Select Board meeting aiming to revitalize the Tamworth recreation field with improved playing surfaces, parking regrading, a pavilion, walking paths, a bike‑skills area and pickleball courts.
Phillips said the current fields are deteriorating, usage is already meaningful and a concept plan would position the town to pursue grants and feasibility studies. He provided usage counts — roughly 873 court uses and about 927 outdoor sports uses — and described a stepped approach: create a concept and feasibility package to support grant applications and community engagement.
Planning board members and other Select Board members counseled caution about process and funding. Several urged tying the effort to a formal update of the town master plan’s recreation chapter so the project would be better positioned for grant programs that favor projects reflected in an up‑to‑date master plan. “It’s a perfect opportunity to work on the recreation chapter of the master plan,” one planning board member said, noting the town’s existing master plan dates to 2008.
Board members discussed scope and scale: some emphasized starting with modest improvements and feasibility work (estimated deliverables under $10,000 were mentioned by consulting contacts), while others warned that larger proposals could create long‑term maintenance obligations and require additional staffing.
The board did not vote to fund a concept study at the meeting but encouraged Phillips to pursue preliminary feasibility quotes and to coordinate with the planning board and Lakes Region Planning Commission (LRPC) on outreach and potential master‑plan linkage.
Next steps: Phillips will continue to refine a concept and collect preliminary quotes; the Select Board and planning board will discuss how the project dovetails with master‑plan updating and potential grant opportunities.
