CARMICHAEL, CA (MPG) - Carmichael Recreation and Park District is looking for a few hundred good men and women to help determine plans for its parks.

Revised every 10 years, the District’s Park Master Plan aims to stay in tune with changing public needs. With revisions due during COVID times, meetings that traditionally shape development are not possible. Instead, CRPD hopes the community will get virtually involved. A Zoom format town hall is scheduled for Thursday, February 25, at 7 pm. During the forum, anyone may contribute ideas for the parks that are central to Carmichael life.

“We update Master Plans because trends in recreation change,” explains CRPD administrator Mike Blondino. “What was hot in 1990 might be less so, now. Ten years ago, it was all about skate boards and dog parks. Back then, if someone had told me pickleball would be as popular as tennis, I’d have said: what’s pickleball? So, we need to get out in the community again -- to ask people what they’d like in their parks.”

CRPD has hired San Ramon-based landscaping specialists Gates+Associates to facilitate the open-mike event. For those unfamiliar with Zoom protocols, the District website provides instructions for registration and participation. For the technically disadvantaged, snail-mail or phone calls to the district are still viable options. “If people want to talk to us, we will listen,” promises the CRPD chief.

The pandemic has affected all CRPD’s 13 reserves, explains Gates+Associates consultant Linda Gates. “Everybody has come to more appreciate the value of open spaces,” she says. “When you’re working from home all day, you need to let off steam. We’re also using parks and trails for social engagement – that helps people who feel isolated. But in the future, more workers will operate from home. So people who only visited parks at weekends will go on weekdays, too. It’s important that every park reflects the needs of its community.”

Despite several focus groups convened last month, the District has not yet harvested sufficient input for Master Plan revision. “That’s why we’re doing the Zoom event,” explains Blondino. “We need as many people as possible to give us feedback on their priorities.”

Amenities likely to be championed on February 25 include:

New park walking trails; Pavilion for market and other uses; More bocce lanes; Pickleball courts; BMX-style bike course; Aquatic playground; More shade provision; Improved sport fields; A New concert stage.

Finances are an eternal challenge. A 2016 lawsuit resulted in CRPD’s loss of much-needed tax assessment funds. But the District nevertheless completed important projects during lean times. Community partnering enabled much progress: Jan and O’Donnell Parks were spared subdivision through fundraising drives in entire neighborhoods; CA Montessori Project’s rental of the La Sierra Center has provided helpful revenue; the Sacramento DA channeled a slum landlord fine into playground rebuilding; a 30-year cellular tower lease financed gym revamps; Kiwanis and Rotary Clubs volunteered labor; an Italian-American family boosted bocce costs.

Vigorous fundraising by Carmichael Parks Foundation provides new conduits for resident benevolence. “Thanks to creative partnering, we’ve saved millions of dollars,” says Blondino. “We’ll continue this type of creativity to get things done. But for now, we need the whole community to tell us what it wants from our parks. That’s why the February 25 town hall is so important. We always appreciate hearing from our local leaders; we also want parents, kids, seniors – everyone who uses parks – to have a voice.”

Learn about the Master Plan and the Zoom town hall at www.carmichaelparksplan.com

Email Mike Blondino at [email protected] or telephone 916 485 5322.