Jan 26, 2015 By Suzanne Elliott 2 min read

Peters Township will hold three public meetings for residents during the next month to begin gathering community input on a new 10-year plan for its six parks, recreation and open space.

“This plan will give us guidance in the coming years,” said Michaele Harmel, Peters’ Parks and Recreation director.

The department’s planning process is three-fold for its comprehensive plan. The first step is to gather citizen input on what they need, concerns and what they would like to see. The second step is to take a look at what already exists in the township and make sure nothing is replicated, Harmel said. The final step is the creation of a plan that will address future recreational needs.

The first meeting is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Jan. 28 at Pleasant Valley Elementary School. The second meeting is 7 p.m. Feb. 5. at the Peters Township Public Library, and the final meeting is 7 p.m. Feb. 11 at Bower Hill Elementary School. In addition, a survey about Peters’ recreational needs can be found online at www.peterstownship.com .

While Harmel said it is hard to gauge what residents will say, it is expected that some residents will say, she fully expects that a swimming pool will be mentioned. Peters does not have a public swimming pool, she said.

The plan will take several months to assemble and likely won’t be completed until summer, Harmel said.

“I am really excited to hear what the residents want,” she said. “We want people to get involved in this process because it is their community.”

Monica Merrell, a Peters council member, said it is vital that residents let their opinions be known about the township’s recreational needs.

“This is the beginning part,” Merrell said. “We want to be able to quantify what is possible. We are pretty set on sports fields. We are looking for what else is needed.”