Town Manager John P. Musante has named a committee to help a consultant come up with a design for Kendrick Park in the north end of downtown.
John P. MusanteAMHERST – Town Manager John P. Musante has named a committee to help a consultant come up with a design for Kendrick Park in the north end of downtown.
The Boston-based Cecil Group has been hired to take the report compiled by the Kendrick Park Committee and come up with three different visual designs, Musante said. Thirteen companies submitted proposals for the development of a schematic site plan and preliminary cost estimate for the park.
The 14-member Kendrick Park Design Advisory Committee, including staff and residents, will have its first meeting Tuesday at 3:30 p.m. at the park.
The tract between North and East Pleasant streets was formerly owned by the Kendrick family, but deeded to the town in 2007. George S. Kendrick was a market owner and bank president who died in 1930. Money from the trust is helping to pay for the design work.
The Kendrick Park Committee studied possible uses for the park for 15 months before concluding after dozens of meetings and forums that it should be a multipurpose park. The three-acre park should have a distinct design and foster a sense of community, according to the committee in its report.
The Kendrick Park Committee met with constituent groups, including downtown business owners and residents. It also surveyed residents and visited parks in other communities.
Musante said there will be public meetings along the way for residents to weigh in on the proposals and they will be also put up on the town’s Web site. When the design is finished, the town will apply to the state Parkland Acquisitions and Renovations for Communities for funding for the work.
Musante said he is excited about the project. “How often do you design a public park in your downtown?” He said the design of the park “is a great project.”
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