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Walkersville panel narrows POS funding asks to landscaping, fitness trail, picnic tables; dog park sent to Burgess
Summary
The Walkersville Parks Commission paused work on a proposed mister, agreed to take the dog-park proposal to the Burgess for funding direction and identified landscaping, a fitness trail (including a possible pickleball court) and replacement picnic tables as its primary POS funding requests.
The Walkersville Parks Commission on a voice vote decided to pause plans for a misting/spray system and focus its POS (Program Open Space) funding request on landscaping, a fitness trail and picnic-table replacements, while asking town leadership to weigh in on a proposed dog park.
Chair (S2) opened a discussion of POS priorities by listing four candidate projects — a mister, landscaping, a dog park and a fitness trail — and said the commission needed more technical and budget details before spending scarce POS dollars. Staff (S9) told the group the town manager and Burgess view bathroom renovation costs as part of the town’s budget rather than the parks budget, and warned that POS-funded installations must remain in place for 20 years, limiting flexibility to remove problem features.
Commissioner S7 and other members discussed landscaping options ranging from small community plantings to larger work including trees and a rain garden. S7 supplied estimates that the commission considered when framing a POS request (perennial plantings $4,000; 15 trees $3,500; rain garden $5,000–$10,000) and S2 said the group would consider asking roughly $15,000 for landscaping.
On the fitness trail, town staff (S9) recommended pursuing vendor-supplied, shovel-ready pieces that could be bid quickly if POS money is awarded: catalog prices cited ranged from $2,500 to $7,000 per piece, with a midrange six-piece package plus installation estimated in the low-to-mid tens of thousands. Commissioners discussed potential locations (adjacent to tennis courts or near the upper parking area) and the possibility of including a pickleball court as a separate POS line item or as a town-budget request.
On the dog park, commissioners split on funding approach. S7 favored using POS funds and argued it may be the only viable funding route; staff (S9) urged taking the proposal to the Burgess and treating the feature as a town budget line or an experimental pilot so it could be removed if problems arise. The commission asked S9 to raise the item with the Burgess during upcoming budget discussions.
The chair summarized next steps: pause the mister until engineers produce flow and runoff details; staff will obtain quotes for fitness-trail equipment and picnic-table replacements (the commission discussed $1,600 per heavy-duty recycled-plastic table and an approximate $50,000 overall cost if replacing dozens), and the dog-park question will be elevated to the Burgess and commissioners for a funding decision before finalizing POS requests.
The commission did not take a formal POS funding motion at the meeting; members instead agreed on these priorities and directed staff to prepare budgets and quotes to meet the POS submission timeline.
