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Avon council hears Recreation & Parks master-plan timeline and outreach plan
Summary
Consultant Weston & Sampson outlined a multi-stage Recreation & Parks master plan with public outreach Jan–Mar 2024 and public meetings through August–September 2024; Council emphasized outreach to seniors, students and varied user groups.
Ryan Chmielewski, team leader for Weston & Sampson, presented the Recreation & Parks Master Plan scope to the Avon Town Council, describing an inventory and needs assessment, stakeholder engagement, and a schedule of public outreach that begins with an online survey and stakeholder/public meetings in January–March 2024, followed by analysis and two subsequent public meetings leading to recommendations and adoption by late summer 2024.
Chmielewski said the project will inventory athletic fields, courts and indoor facilities; assess accessibility and geographic distribution; and develop implementation and funding recommendations. Council members and staff discussed targeted outreach to seniors (a planned Lunch and Learn in January 2024), steps to engage middle and high school students (possible outreach at the Avon Free Public Library and to booster clubs), and the role of existing studies—such as the Connectivity Plan—in informing trail and soft-surface recreational needs.
Assistant Town Manager and council members stressed that the master plan should capture underrepresented populations and informal users (for example, pickleball and nontraditional youth recreation). Chmielewski said the firm would present exemplar plans from other towns and that draft recommendations will be reviewed with the Council before any final adoption.
The consultant's timeline calls for public-meeting phases in May and Aug–Sep 2024 and a strategic plan that separates immediate, medium- and long-term recommendations with estimated budgets and phasing guidance.
