The Kendrick Park Committee studied possible uses for the park for 15 months before concluding that it should be a multipurpose park.
AMHERST - Planners have two more interviews on Tuesday with companies that submitted proposals for Kendrick Park and hope to make a recommendation shortly after that.
Thirteen companies submitted proposals for the development of a schematic site plan and preliminary cost estimate for the park.
Five were selected to be interviewed, said planner Christine M. Brestrup.
Town Manager Laurence R. Shaffer will select one company based on the committee’s recommendation.
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.
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 park should have a distinct design and foster a sense of community, according to the committee. Structures such as a skateboard plaza or carousel present a “political and design challenge,” the committee wrote.
There is money available in the trust fund left by Kendrick which will be used to pay for the design work.
Shaffer said that the design plan is intended to incorporate the proposals brought forward by the committee. The committee also recommended that the park provide walking paths, seating, passive and active recreation, safe pedestrian access, rest rooms, and space for performing arts.