An open house is being held 6-8 p.m. Tuesday to give the community a chance to voice their opinions regarding the city’s park system.

“We wanted to have an open house — not a meeting per say. It’s meant to be an interactive thing,” said Earl Coffey, Danville city engineer. “You don’t have to be here at 6 o’clock. If you show up at 7:15, you’re having the same experience and the same input towards Brandstetter Carroll and, ultimately, the city that you do if you get here at 6 p.m.”

Coffey said the consulting firm, Brandstetter Carroll has been auditing the facilities, looking at what is available in the city and conducting other research.

The next step is one that involves the public, launching the online survey that’s been up for several weeks, setting up at events like HarvestFest last weekend and hosting events like the one on Tuesday to allow for public input.

At HarvestFest — held last weekend in downtown Danville —  a box voting system was set up and people were given play money to place into the boxes as they felt the topics were most important. Topics voters could select included a pool, tennis courts and others. Coffey said he anticipated another set up like that would be at one of the stations.

Those who want to take the survey can visit a site, but paper copies will be available at Tuesday’s open house. Feedback will also be taken by calling city hall, mailing something in writing to Coffey or using a specific email to submit for the survey (see info box for all addresses and phone numbers). 

Coffey said they plan for Tuesday’s event to be “interactive,” so that community members can talk to Brandstetter Carroll.

“The consultant is with you one-on-one,” he said. This, Coffey said, is another part of the research in the process. 

“This is a piece of the research they are doing. Trying to understand what community expectations are, what the community understanding is. They’re the ones trying to gather information,” he said. 

The more information they get, he said, the more aware they become. City officials will be there, and they plan to have refreshments on hand for the public, Coffey said. 

It’s important to note, he said, the Parks Master Plan is more than just talking about a specific park.

“Ideally, your park expands out, so as you walk through town you’re getting to enjoy the green space and these common settings along the way,” Coffey said. “Features like a splash pad at the water plant park, ultimately, become features on the park system.”

Coffey said the master plan is talking about all of the parks, recreational facilities and their features, and the system in which they operate.

“Looking at the master plan as you’re planning for a park is a little bit of an error. That’s not what Brandstetter Carroll is doing, that’s not what they’ve been asked to do,” Coffey said. “That’s a huge misconception. It may prioritize projects for Millennium Park, but it’s not just about Millennium Park.”

IF YOU GO

The open house regarding the Parks and Recreation Master Plan will be 6-8 p.m. Tuesday at City Hall. Weather permitting, it will be held on the front plaza, otherwise it will be held inside.

For anyone who can’t attend, a survey is available at www.surveymonkey.com/r/DanvilleParks. You can also email thoughts to survey@danvilleky.org; call the city at (859) 238-1200; or mail them to: Danville Public Works, Earl Coffey, City Engineer, 445 West Main Street, Danville, KY 40422