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<p><strong>From staff reports</strong></p>
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<p>Beaufort County Parks and Recreation Department has launched a county-wide needs and improvements assessment to develop a Master Plan that meets the needs of county residents.</p>
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<p>“The Assessment is critical to ensure we are meeting the needs of our citizens,” Beaufort County Parks and Recreation Director Shannon Loper said in a release. “The voices of our citizens will shape the funding and improvements to our parks and recreation facilities.”</p>
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<p>Wood + Partners, Inc., and PROS Consulting INC. will lead the year-long assessment with Parks and Recreation support to create a Parks and Recreation master plan for $175,690. This plan includes an assessment of inventory and analysis of existing parks and facilities, public opinion survey and community input, prioritized recommendations for new parks and facilities, and capital improvement cost estimates.</p>
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<p>The public can begin commenting and providing feedback via the website www.playbeaufortcounty.com.</p>
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<p>There will be five public meetings:</p>
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<p>Monday, Feb. 28, 6 p.m. Buckwalter Recreation Center, 905 Buckwalter Pkwy, Bluffton, S.C. 29910</p>
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<p>Tuesday, March 1 at 5:30 p.m. Burton Wells Recreation Center, 1 Middleton Recreation Drive, Beaufort, S.C. 29906</p>
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<p>Tuesday, March 1 at 7:30 p.m. Dale Community Center, 15 Community Center Road Seabrook, S.C. 29940</p>
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<p>Wednesday, March 2, 6 p.m. Scott Recreation Complex, 242 Scott Hill Road St. Helena, S.C.</p>
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<p>Thursday, March 10, 6 p.m. Charles Lind Brown Center, 1001 Hamar Street, Beaufort, S.C. 29902</p>
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<p>Between July and September, the group will work on the needs analysis, program, services, and staff assessment, along with Athletic Events and Sports Tourism feasibility study and economic impact analysis and land acquisition recommendations. This information will be used to develop short-, mid-, and long-term planning recommendations and cost analysis.</p>
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<p>All the information and public comments will be compiled into a Parks and Recreation Master Plan from October through November. This plan will then be presented to the County Council Facilities Committee and the County Council for feedback and endorsement.</p>
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<p>Beaufort County Parks and Recreation recently re-opened Charles Lind Brown Center on Hamar Street in Beaufort. New state-of-the-art workout equipment has been ordered for the facility. The facility will include three workout rooms for cardio, one with workout equipment for women, and one large workout room for everyone. Temporary pickleball courts may also be set up upon request. We still have an open gym for basketball, an outdoor resurfaced basketball court, an existing playground, and a small room for meetings. With these updates and upgrades, the County facility will be even more of an asset to the neighborhood and better equipped to meet the needs of residents.</p>
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