Melissa Penfield Park

First Round of Projects for Melissa Penfield Park:

1. Renovations to the restroom facility will be designed along with an expansion of the building to provide a new rentable space for use by the community.
2. The design of an expansive new playground to replace the current one in the park’s northwest corner.* 
3. Design of renovated skatepark**

How Projects were Determined:

After the public comment period for the Parks Master Plan was over, City staff determined which projects would be prioritized for each park based on:

1. The state of the current park infrastructure
2. Community desire
3. Available funding

Funding allocations to individual parks varied based on the above considerations but every effort was made to ensure an equitable distribution of funding across all five parks. This list encompasses only the first round of improvements the City plans to make to our parks and several dozen additional projects are included in the Parks Master Plan. 

The Community Development and Planning staff are compiling a list of potential grant funding sources to help fund the remaining Parks Renewal projects. All of the required design work for the park improvements will be completed in 2023 with an anticipated construction date starting in 2024. Future improvements are expected to be funded through borrowing, general fund spending, and grants. 

*The City intends for this to serve as a destination playground and the design work will serve as both the City’s down payment and the basis for a campaign which will seek community partnerships and sponsorships to assist with fully funding the playground’s construction.

**A $100K pledge from Lake Champlain Ferries for the construction of a renovated skate park has previously been committed.  The highly specialized design work required for the skate park led to a decision to pursue that project along a separate path but the City remains committed to its completion.