![Carpenter's Park is located at the corner of Broad Street and Munson Highway in Milton. The park includes one lighted pavilion with tables and electricity, seven lighted picnic areas with tables and electricity, boat ramps with water access, children's playground equipment (swings, slides, etc.), overflow trailer parking across the street, park benches, restrooms, and wildlife observation areas. [File photo]](http://127.0.0.1/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/ghows-DA-55cf5c20-219a-0ec8-e053-0100007fc7fd-20794b40-scaled.jpeg)
MILTON — The city will redesign Carpenter’s Park, a recreational area located on the corner of Broad Street and Munson Highway in Milton.
According to City Planner Randy Jorgenson, the desire to redesign the park came from Milton’s Riverfront Redevelopment Team. Carpenter’s Park is more than 50 years old and its outdated appearance needed to be restored, according to Jorgenson.
The city put out a request for proposals and qualifications on appropriate sites nationally, said Jorgenson. The city received five responses for the Carpenter’s Park redesign.
In late May, the City Council voted for a committee to be formed to review and prioritize the proposals: Mayor Wesley Meiss, Councilman Jeff Snow, Riverfront Redevelopment Team Representative Laura Spencer Coleman, Ricky Downs and Cara Schepper. The committee gave the redesign project to TSW Planning out of Atlanta.
Jorgenson said that the city wants a park that meets the needs of all ages and abilities. The base budget of the project, which will come from the city’s budget, is $48,000.
“Parks have changed, and how they’re used has changed," he said. "Traditionally they were used for playground equipment for children, and that’s no longer true.
“Now we have playground equip for adults, and trails with exercise and work stations, interactive water features — both built and natural. We consider WiFi and internet access; no one here has ever thought about that until recently, and now it’s just a part of park planning — it’s what you do.”
Based on the scope of work provided by TSW, the first task is to assemble a project area map and site base map using existing available date provided by the city. TSW will produce a project base map.
A two-day session will follow including a kick-off meeting with the city, field review of existing conditions in the area, and programming interviews with city staff and stakeholders of the city’s choosing.
The park is currently in its planning stages. Once the plan is complete, it will be brought to the public and ultimately to the city council for approval, according to Jorgenson.
This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: Redesign of Carpenter's Park underway