OCEAN CITY — As the town of Ocean City moves forward with its new overall strategic plan, recreation officials are on a parallel course with discussions on the future of the resort’s public parks.
During a Recreation and Parks Committee meeting last month, discussions resumed on a citywide park master plan. Ocean City is currently considering upgrades to the existing Northside Park along with upgrades for Sunset Park downtown and a redesign of the so-called Bayside Park at 4th Street. After considerable debate, the committee agreed the parks should be reviewed comprehensively.
“They’re kind of all tied together,” said Councilman and Committee member Dennis Dare. “The parks are something we’ll be talking about a lot as we move forward with this, and not just Northside, Sunset and Bayside but all of the town’s parks and recreational facilities.”
Recreation and Parks Director Susan Petito said upgrades and improvements at Northside Park and Sunset Park remain priorities and a redesign of the Bayside Park between 4th and 3rd streets needs to be considered at the same time. The park for decades has housed baseball and softball fields, a playground, a skate park and basketball courts, for example, but the town is reconsidering its future configuration with a planned redesign. Petito said she was looking for some direction from the Mayor and Council about their expectations for the park.
“As much as I’d like to move forward with signs and community meetings, I need some guidance on what I’m working with,” she said.
Improvements and upgrades to the town’s parks are proceeding on parallel courses. The Capital Improvement Plan will provide the funding in the budget for the future upgrades while the Strategic Plan deals more with the conceptual side of the planning for the parks.
Councilman and Committee member Wayne Hartman said any plan for the parks should start with an assessment of what the town has and what its citizens want and need.
“Take a look at everything and come back and say ‘we need a tennis court there or a basketball court here,’” he said. “Take an inventory of what we have and what we need.”
Hartman said the Northside Park complex continues to be the centerpiece of the resort’s public park network and needed improvements and upgrades there should remain a top priority.
“Before we start talking about Bayside Park, we need to think about what we have here,” he said. “We need to take care of what we have before we talk about expanding.”
Dare said many of the planned upgrades, improvements and equipment purchases needed for Northside Park are already being addressed in the current budget.
“Northside is being addressed in the budget, but the other two need to be addressed,” he said. “We need to look comprehensively at all of our recreational facilities and get some feedback from the public.”
Hartman said budget constraints do not necessarily have to curtail plans for park upgrades and improvements.
“We’re not looking for one big expenditure,” he said. “We can do this piece in one year and that piece in another year until it all comes together.”
Petito suggested a two-pronged approach that includes a study of the existing parks and public input sessions with the community.
“We need to reach out to the community and find out what the needs are. Then, we can move forward with some of the planned improvements,” she said.
The committee agreed on an action plan that includes a community survey and a needs assessment.