Milton’s Parks and Recreation Advisory Board will review an analysis of athletic field needs in our community, among other items, when it convenes this Thursday.

The February 20 meeting of PRAB, as this committee is known, will begin at 6 p.m. in City Hall’s Council Chambers. People can attend in-person or watch online at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qi90xp76ZvY.

PRAB consists of seven members (appointed by Milton’s Mayor and City Council) who share their insights, expertise, and opinions with City staff and leaders on parks, recreational activities, events, facilities, and programs. You can learn more about this board at https://www.miltonga.gov/government/boards-committees/parks-and-recreation-advisory-board/.

Each PRAB meeting begins with committee reports, in which members get updates on recreational activities. These include Milton-affiliated athletic programs, like Halftime Sports Basketball, as well outdoor, adult, and youth arts programming.

After those committee reports, PRAB will discuss a proposed update to the City’s facility and field use rental policy that incorporates relatively new additions, like the Legacy Park fields and Milton City Park and Preserve’s Community Center. The revised policy also features additional language to provide more clarity and detail.

This will be followed by a presentation and discussion of athletic field needs. It will look at the number of rectangular and diamond (for baseball) fields currently at Milton-owned and affiliated facilities, how many are recommended in the City’s Parks and Recreation Master Plan, as well as the number that corresponds to the number of current registrants in Milton programs.

This conversation is relevant as the City weighs what to put in its new 24.4.-acre active park along Deerfield Parkway, the planning process for which will be touched on later in Thursday’s meeting. 

PRAB will then consider whether Milton should develop program partnerships to run classes and more at City facilities with:

• Happy Kidz Yoga, offering age-appropriate yoga classes to young people
• Roman Kicks & Tricks, to run martials arts classes and camps

The meeting will conclude with staff updates on several projects and initiatives. This will include the latest on plans to expand and reconfigure Legacy Park’s parking area, as well as what’s happening and what will happen in the 130-acre “passive” (including a new trail) and 7-acre “active” portions of Milton City Park and Preserve.

PRAB members also will learn about Community Outreach efforts and events, like a Birmingham Park Clean-up scheduled for the morning of March 8 and a Community Egg Hunt set for March 29.

After Thursday’s meeting, the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board is next scheduled to convene on March 20.