The city of Philomath’s parks system will take center stage at Monday night’s Philomath City Council meeting with a public hearing on the Parks and Trails Master Plan. The council meeting will begin at 7 p.m., with the hearing scheduled to take place early on the agenda.
The new document is proposed to take place of the current plan, which was last updated in 2016. The plan includes updated maps, narrative and short- and long-term priorities to reflect the goals and needs of the community.
The document identifies project priorities in the next one to five years, including the replacement of the skate park at Philomath City Park and developing Paul J. Cochran Veterans Memorial Park, located on the corner of College and North 16th streets. Other priorities include ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) upgrades at Marys River Park and Triangle Park (700 College St.), an invasive species vegetation project at Reservoir Park (3100 Applegate St.) and individual items needed in various parks, such as new lighting, shade trees, trash cans and seating.
A vote on a proposed resolution to adopt the Parks and Trails Master Plan will follow the public hearing and deliberation.
Councilors will meet virtually through Zoom, but the city does provide citizens with the option of appearing in person to provide public comments. To make arrangements to testify either on Zoom or in person, contact the city recorder’s office by 4 p.m. Monday at 541-929-6148 or ruth.post@philomathoregon.gov.
The city provides live-streaming of meetings on its Facebook page.
Also on the agenda, the City Council plans to hear from the city’s engineer about a proposed bioswale connected to the Downtown Safety and Streetscape Improvement Project and recognize volunteers that have served on committees and boards.
Discussion and possible action items include:
• New finance director appointment.
• Standing committee and representative assignments.
• Planning Commission, Budget Committee and Park Advisory Board appointments.
• Samaritan Awards nominations.
• Allocation of American Rescue Plan Act funds.
• Ordinances to amend municipal code on council rules, stormwater utility and stormwater management plan.
• Resolution on System Development Charges rate schedule for 2022.
The City Council is also scheduled to meet at 5:30 p.m. for a work session. The agenda’s lone item is discussion of the proposed North 11th Street Local Improvement District.