There’s now a game plan for what to do with the 137 acres that used to be Milton Country Club.
The Milton City Council on Monday unanimously approved a master plan for the development of a public park on the acreage. The general plan is to let the land revert to a more natural state and retain the existing pools and tennis courts. The former clubhouse could become a community event space.
The city bought the land using $5 million of greenspace bond funds in early 2018. Despite the public investment, some Milton residents were worried about traffic. Others raised questions about plans for a small playground.
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Council members did not vote Monday on spending to overhaul of the property, but there were cost estimates — creating just 4.5 miles of loop trail alone could cost $6.1 million. Milton community development director Parag Agrawal said they are looking into how to fund all the work and plan to pursue grants.
The land is still home to a swim team and hosts multiple tennis meets a year. About 3.5 miles of the park perimeter is bordered by neighborhoods.
About a dozen people, many of whom either live nearby or are involved with swim or tennis teams, spoke during the meeting. The largest issue discussed was the proposal for an inclusive playground — one where children with disabilities can also play.
Milton-based nonprofit Children's Charities agreed to donate materials for the 0.3-acre playground. The city is providing the land.
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Those who spoke during the meeting weren’t against such a playground, but they felt it doesn’t fit the feel of the new park and would increase traffic.
Beth Wilson, who lives across from the property, said her family is active in the swim team and she’s worried about safety.
“Having a playground with lots of slides and kids … could turn into accidents,” she said.
Wilson and others at the Monday meeting said they weren’t happy that the plan with the playground was released Friday. “I don’t understand the rush on this playground,” she said.
Lauren Holmes, co-founder of Children’s Charities, said she has been before City Council several times over the last year and a half to discuss the playground. “So hearing from other people that they’ve never heard of this before is amazing,” she said.
Holmes said her group has tried for years to find a place for the playground in Milton.
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“All-inclusive means all can play, it doesn’t mean handicapped-only,” Holmes said.
The master plan details the four public sessions the city held to get feedback and an online survey that received 1,100 responses. The rural city has about 40,000 residents and its website lists five green parks.
The plan identifies multiple issues for designing the park, including work to connect 4.5 miles of concrete golf cart paths; multiple wooden bridges that need to be repaired; trees that have to be removed; and swapping water pipes for natural drainage options.
Plus, if you’re talking Milton then you’re talking horses, so there have been considerations about making some trails equine-friendly.
Agrawal said the next steps are assessing exactly what else needs to be done on the property and the not-so-small task of naming the park.
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