Park meeting scheduled

Does Oak Harbor need more parks?

“Are there enough parks in Oak Harbor? What do you want to see in new parks in the future? Where should they be?The Oak Harbor city planning department wants residents to answer these types of questions about city parks and recreation during a public meeting at 7 p.m. Wednesday at the city shop.The planners will unveil the new draft of a six-year comprehensive park and recreation plan, which staff has been working on for the last couple of months. Senior Planner Steve Powers said the draft plan includes a prioritized list of growth-related parks projects and funding. It calls for the completion of the 40-acre Fort Nugent Park and two new neighborhood parks in the next six years.The plan has an inventory of parks and facilities that already exist and a set of minimum recreation standards. City Planner Tom Burdett said he hopes the public input will give planners an idea of whether the standards are still adequate.People’s recreational needs change, he said.The meeting will be the first chance that the community will have to comment on the plan. It will have to go before the parks board, the planning commission and the Oak Harbor City Council before being finalized.”