Westmont residents can weigh in on the future of their parks at a public workshop Oct. 7.

The Westmont Park District scheduled the Community Parks & Planning Visioning Workshop as part of a master plan update launched this summer, according to the district's event listing. The district's current master plan dates to 2014.

What the workshop is for

The district hired Planning Resources Inc. to lead the master plan process. Darrell Garrison, the firm's principal, and senior landscape architect Jennifer Kelliher presented the scope of work to the Board of Park Commissioners at a special meeting July 29. That scope includes a park and facility inventory, community engagement, and a needs assessment survey.

Executive Director Bob Fleck told commissioners at the Aug. 12 regular board meeting that a public engagement workshop with Planning Resources would take place while the needs assessment survey was underway.

"Feedback from the public will be important to this process," Fleck said.

The district also opened a community needs assessment survey as part of the planning effort. As we reported Sept. 22, the survey uses a two-pronged approach: postcards with a survey link and QR code went to a random sample of Westmont households, and a second version is open to anyone, including residents of neighboring communities.

At the July 29 meeting, Garrison said 300 responses would be the minimum for statistical validity but that the board and staff want far more. The district's goal is thousands of responses, according to the meeting minutes.

Board President John Karesh asked at that same meeting that the survey also be offered in hard-copy form, not just online.

How to attend

The workshop runs Wednesday, Oct. 7, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. in the Linden Room at the WPD Administrative Center, 55 E. Richmond St., Westmont. It is free and open to the public. Residents with questions can call the district at (630) 963-5252.