Columbus hires consultant, project manager for parks master plans

The city of Columbus will be hiring help to develop three master plans for the parks and recreation department.

The Columbus Redevelopment Commission this week approved more than $111,000 for the contracts this week.

Nikki Murphy, director of the city parks department, told the commission that the parks department need to do a parks wide master plan every five years and it is in the final year of the current plan. The plan will help keep the department on track with its goals, abreast of trends and the needs of the parks department looking ahead. Murphy said that the department is also looking for a master plan for Donner Park as the city decides what to do with the aging Donner Center and the aquatics center.

Murphy also said that the city needs to develop a master plan specifically for Mill Race Park. She said that many downtown projects all hinge on Mill Race Park and improvements there. It is one of the focal points of the recently completed Downtown Columbus 2030 plan which seeks to better integrate and the park into the downtown area.

Murphy said that the three plans would all be developed simultaneously as that would save money on holding public input sessions and other costs.

She recommended that the city hire Next Practice Partners of Carmel as a consultant at a cost of $86,710 over the next two years, and Bonnie Boatwright as project manager, also through 2027 at a cost of $25,000.

The commission approved the contracts Monday.