City parks and rec master plan approved
After being sent back for minor changes and an update to disability accessibility ratings for the city's parks, at their meeting on Monday, March 26, Birmingham city commissioners approved the 2018 parks and recreation master plan, 5-0, with mayor Andy Harris and mayor pro tem Patty Bordman not in attendance.
Lauren Wood, director of public services, explained that minor changes for ADA-capabilities were now included in the master plan, with accessibility ratings from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR).
Sarah Traxler, from McKenna, who provided design and planning for the master plan, as well as revisions, said she did field observations over three days at all of Birmingham's parks in order to ascertain the proper ratings and accessibility.
“I did find that your prior rankings were too high,” she said. “It's important to remember that different parks have different purposes.”
Once approved, Wood explained that a copy of the adopted plan would be submitted to the Michigan DNR, Oakland County and SEMCOG.
“Once the city commission adopts the 2018 Parks and Recreation Master Plan, final plan documents will be distributed to the city commission, Parks and Recreation board members and placed on the city’s website,” Wood stated in a memo to city manager Joe Valentine.
“The plan came together quite well,” commissioner Mark Nickita said. “We know it's conceptual.”