Did You Know There Is A County Parks And Recreation Board?
Author: Carol Hatfield, Parks and Recreation Board
Did You Know There is a County Parks and Recreation Board?
Carol Hatfield
Parks and Recreation Board
The Broadwater County Parks and Recreation Board serves in an advisory role and assists with planning and oversight of parks, trails, and open space throughout the county and occasionally collaborates with the City of Townsend on various projects within city limits.
Currently the board is comprised of five members, an administrative assistant, a planning advisor, and two liaisons: President Jennifer Dalrymple, Vice President Dirk Gard, and members Mike Ryan, Wendy Gravely and Carol Hatfield, Administrative Assistant Aubra Lewis, County Development and Planning Director Nichole Brown, County Commission Liaison Lindsey Richtmyer, and City Liaison Doug Sitton.
You may have received several opportunities to take a Parks and Recreation survey for the development of a master plan that includes county property on Canton Lane and another on Centerville Road. If so, your input was part of over 500 survey responses and helped to steer the final plans. Results highlighted the need for open spaces, walking paths, and multiuse courts, the lease renewal of the Rod and Gun Club, and the need for maintaining the current county and city facilities and parks.
As the county’s on-call engineer, Great West Engineering facilitated the masterplan process, which included public outreach, surveys and design workshops, property concepts and cost research, and production of the final master plan document. The final plan was approved by the Parks and Recreation Board and recommended to the Commissioners for adoption at the June 25th hearing and Commission meeting.
The Board continues to work on several other projects including a Countywide Parks and Recreation Strategic Plan to address the role and function of the board as the county continues to grow, the logistics and funding for a pedestrian bridge next to the north Missouri River Bridge, youth involvement in the board, funding and grants, and working with the Trail Committee from Broadwater County Development Corporation regarding a countywide trail system.
The public is welcome and encouraged to attend the Parks and Recreation Board meetings on the 3rd Monday of the month at 6:00 p.m. at the Flynn Building, 416 Broadway Street in Townsend. Meetings can also be watched live on the county channel at https://www.youtube.com/@BroadwaterCounty.
Public comment can be made during meetings by emailing: cmedia@broadwatercountymt.gov or sent to alewis@broadwatercountymt.gov to be read at a meeting.
All agendas are posted a minimum of 48 hours in advance of the meeting on the county website: https://www.broadwatercountymt.gov.
