Milton’s Parks and Recreation Advisory Board will dive into recently completed and soon-to-start improvements at several parks when it next convenes on Thursday.

The February 19 meeting will start at 6 p.m. in City Hall (2006 Heritage Walk). All are welcome to come to Council Chambers that evening, or they can watch the proceedings online at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rMSOrmXXRG0.

Commonly referred to as PRAB, the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board’s seven appointed members share their advice, opinions, and expertise with City staff on Milton park facilities, relevant policies, and recreational programs.

One way that PRAB handles the latter is through recreation program liaisons, in which individual members are charged with staying up-to-date on specific athletic, arts, adult, outdoor, and other affiliated programs. They and City staff then share pertinent information at every PRAB meeting. 

In fact, the committee’s first orders of business Thursday are the latest such reports and this year’s appointment of such recreation program liaisons. 

PRAB will roll into a discussion of two potentially new program partnerships, sharing their thoughts on whether they think they’d be good fits for the City’s Parks and Recreation Department. The first would be with AR Workshop, a Milton-based business that could lead do-it-yourself craft and arts instructional programming. 

The other possible program partner under consideration Thursday is Le Mahj Club, which could lead Mahjong classes at City facilities. 

City staff then will share updates, and welcome PRAB members’ feedback, on several key developments at Milton parks. 

• A 2.5-mile trail loop – including 1.5 miles of new trail – recently opened at Milton City Park and Preserve (1785 Dinsmore Road). This happened as part of a multi-faceted project in this facility’s passive greenspace portion that also included support for wildlife habitats and stormwater upgrades to further this park’s transformation from golf course to nature preserve. The new trail includes boardwalk and a pier for future fishing, among other amenities. 

• The City is making progress in expanding and generally improving the parking lot at Legacy Park, the City’s athletic facility located off Cox Road. City Staff will share the latest on engineering and design efforts for this project, as well as preview what’s to come with construction slated to begin this summer.

• Another major project on the horizon is in the 7-acre “active” portion of Milton City Park and Preserve. The City will use grant and other funds to help reconfigure that facility’s parking lot, enhance lighting, add a playground, and redo the Milton Tennis Center (resulting in six total courts, which is two more than are now there, among other upgrades). Construction on that is set to start later this year.

The PRAB agenda’s final item relates to the bettering of a different park in a different way: Birmingham Park Clean-up Day scheduled (weather-permitting) for Saturday, February 28. Volunteers of all ages are welcome to pitch-in between 8 and 11 that morning to remove debris, clear trails, and make other improvements.

After this meeting, the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board is next scheduled to convene on March 19.