The Great Neck Park District is searching for help in forging their first master plan in more than a decade.
The Board of Commissioners is seeking a consultant, according to a legal notice posted on Wednesday, to help them create a master plan that emphasizes their offerings while taking considering other Park District needs like properties, land acquisition, capital improvements and infrastructure.
Proposals will be due by noon on Thursday, Sept. 13, the notice also said.
Robert Lincoln, the chairman of the Board of Commissioners, said the last master plan for the Great Neck Park District – done in either 2004 or 2005– involved several public hearings and a community-wide survey to help determine district priorities.
“We conducted a series of public hearings, we put a survey out to the entire community, we wanted to know what people saw as their needs and desires for the parks,” Lincoln said. “And from that came the real support to do Parkwood Pool, add a number of programs, and people clearly stated they like the concerts at Steppingstone [Park].”
When asked if there was a particular reason the district hopes to make a new plan now, Lincoln said, “We realized that it’s been more than 10 years since it’s last been done.”
Lincoln said the board felt fall was an ideal time to reach out to the public.
About $50,000 is budgeted for the process, Lincoln added.
Ultimately, Lincoln said he hopes that the survey is done by year’s end, a master plan will be developed by early 2019, and more people will answer the surveys this year.
“We hope they participate,” Lincoln said, describing residents as the “owners” of the Great Neck Park District. “The last time we did it, we got about a five percent return if I remember awhile ago.”
