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Saturday
March 20, 2010 Since 1922 |
MB residents give ideas for city park
By Kari Griffin
Baytown Sun Published May 16, 2007 The 70-acre piece of land between City Hall and Barbers Hill High School may not be much to look at today, but that lot has the potential to become the hub of Mont Belvieu, where residents can get together to partake in community events, walk around shady trails and watch their children enjoy the game of their choice. The only limit is the imagination of the residents.
Playgrounds, ball fields, walkways and pavilions were a few of the topics discussed at length when Burditt Consultants met with residents Tuesday night to solidify the city’s vision for the signature park that will soon be along Eagle Drive. The 20 or so residents who attended the “community visioning workshop” outlined their ideas of what a park should be for the architects hosting the flexible and informal meeting, bringing them closer to the “common ground” they are hoping to identify.
Company president Charles Burditt said this first step will move them even closer to creating the dream park residents are striving for.
“You have the opportunity to impact the Mont Belvieu park and what it becomes,” Burditt said.
Burditt told residents when they’re walking through the park with their children and grandchildren, they will be able to point out certain facilities and say “I did that” or “I thought of that.”
“This is a community involvement planning, so we want your input and your dreams,” Mayor Nick Dixon said. “Share it with our architects here.”
Pages of oversized notepads were filled with suggestions like baseball fields with a central concession stand, multipurpose fields that would accommodate football and soccer games, shady walkways lined with benches, an amphitheatre, a pavilion and a playground. Residents thought of everything their park could possibly need, then had the chance to review the lists and mark the amenities most important to them. Each attendee had a limited number of stickers to place next to the facilities they deemed park essentials.
The next phase of the project will be giving the residents what they want, within the allocated budget, and creating a space with room to grow.
What’s left out of the park is just as important as what is put into it, Burditt said. He wanted residents to know that just because every item on their wish list isn’t featured in the final design, that doesn’t mean they can’t be added in the future.
“I think it’s a wonderful opportunity for Mont Belvieu,” Lydia Spirko said. “I want everything they put on the board.”
Spirko and other residents were surprised that more people didn’t show up to offer their input and help plan their park.
“I think it’s a good thing that the city asked us to be a part of it. They didn’t have to,” Spirko said. “I think it will bring the community together.”
Even the kids weren’t overlooked. Children spent their time designing their own parks in a “build-a-park” workshop. The small group of kids said they didn’t play every sport, or participate in all of the activities they suggested, but they knew what their peers enjoy and feel they did a good job representing them.
Madison Wilks, 11, said the most important thing is that everyone has something to do.
“It’s for everybody, not just one person, for the whole city,” Wilks said.
The next phase of the project will identifying which facilities most desired by the community, Burditt said. The design team hopes to present a possible design to council later this summer, make any necessary changes, and return to another public meeting with a design for the park. Burditt encourages residents with comments or suggestions to contact them by May 31.
Comments can sent to montbelviue(at)burditt.com.
Baytown Sun Published May 16, 2007 The 70-acre piece of land between City Hall and Barbers Hill High School may not be much to look at today, but that lot has the potential to become the hub of Mont Belvieu, where residents can get together to partake in community events, walk around shady trails and watch their children enjoy the game of their choice. The only limit is the imagination of the residents.
Playgrounds, ball fields, walkways and pavilions were a few of the topics discussed at length when Burditt Consultants met with residents Tuesday night to solidify the city’s vision for the signature park that will soon be along Eagle Drive. The 20 or so residents who attended the “community visioning workshop” outlined their ideas of what a park should be for the architects hosting the flexible and informal meeting, bringing them closer to the “common ground” they are hoping to identify.
Company president Charles Burditt said this first step will move them even closer to creating the dream park residents are striving for.
“You have the opportunity to impact the Mont Belvieu park and what it becomes,” Burditt said.
Burditt told residents when they’re walking through the park with their children and grandchildren, they will be able to point out certain facilities and say “I did that” or “I thought of that.”
“This is a community involvement planning, so we want your input and your dreams,” Mayor Nick Dixon said. “Share it with our architects here.”
Pages of oversized notepads were filled with suggestions like baseball fields with a central concession stand, multipurpose fields that would accommodate football and soccer games, shady walkways lined with benches, an amphitheatre, a pavilion and a playground. Residents thought of everything their park could possibly need, then had the chance to review the lists and mark the amenities most important to them. Each attendee had a limited number of stickers to place next to the facilities they deemed park essentials.
The next phase of the project will be giving the residents what they want, within the allocated budget, and creating a space with room to grow.
What’s left out of the park is just as important as what is put into it, Burditt said. He wanted residents to know that just because every item on their wish list isn’t featured in the final design, that doesn’t mean they can’t be added in the future.
“I think it’s a wonderful opportunity for Mont Belvieu,” Lydia Spirko said. “I want everything they put on the board.”
Spirko and other residents were surprised that more people didn’t show up to offer their input and help plan their park.
“I think it’s a good thing that the city asked us to be a part of it. They didn’t have to,” Spirko said. “I think it will bring the community together.”
Even the kids weren’t overlooked. Children spent their time designing their own parks in a “build-a-park” workshop. The small group of kids said they didn’t play every sport, or participate in all of the activities they suggested, but they knew what their peers enjoy and feel they did a good job representing them.
Madison Wilks, 11, said the most important thing is that everyone has something to do.
“It’s for everybody, not just one person, for the whole city,” Wilks said.
The next phase of the project will identifying which facilities most desired by the community, Burditt said. The design team hopes to present a possible design to council later this summer, make any necessary changes, and return to another public meeting with a design for the park. Burditt encourages residents with comments or suggestions to contact them by May 31.
Comments can sent to montbelviue(at)burditt.com.