City Of Milton: Upgrades At Birmingham Park, Pasture Greenspace On MEC Agenda

Press release from the City of Milton:

03/16/2022 10:16 AM

The Milton Equestrian Committee meets Wednesday night with a focus on City efforts to open a new public space for riders as well as improve an existing park, Birmingham, already beloved by many.

The March 16 meeting of group, also known as MEC, will start at 7 p.m. in Community Place, the small building beside City Hall at 2006 Heritage Walk. Members of the public are welcome to attend.

Birmingham Park – which features several trails frequented and enjoyed by riders – will be front-and-center in two respects.

The first is a preview of the park’s annual “Clean-Up Day” from 8:30 a.m. to noon on Saturday, March 26. At this family-friendly event run by the Milton Equestrian Committee and Milton Land Conservancy, volunteers trim errant branches, clear trails and generally make the 200-plus acre Birmingham Park even better. No sign-ups are needed; just come on down when you can, perhaps with tools in hand.

Further, more expansive improvements may be in store for Birmingham Park soon, too. On Monday, Public Works Director Sara Leaders briefed the City Council about plans to make equestrian-minded improvements to both Birmingham Park and the City’s 21-acre greenspace property at the corner of Birmingham and Freemanville roads. You can view Leaders’ presentation HERE.

The City plans to solicit one successful bidder to work on both properties. For the greenspace, that would involve adding parking, fencing and gates, drainage, as well as necessary clean-up in and around what could serve as a mostly open pasture for horses to roam. The Birmingham Park improvements would include adding equestrian/horse-trailer parking, lighting for that parking, a trailhead plus trails connecting to the new parking area, a water supply, and security/safety fencing.

These projects – both of which are referenced, generally, in the City’s Strategic Plan and 2040 Comprehensive Plan – will be discussed at Wednesday’s Equestrian Committee meeting.

Another City effort that came up at Monday’s Council meeting, and could affect the equestrian community, is relaunching a Milton Trails Advisory Committee. This group would explore the implementation of the Milton Community Trail Prioritization Plan (seen here https://www.cityofmiltonga.us/Home/ShowDocument?id=2859), including potential new trails (and other improvements) for horse riders.

Also at Wednesday’s meeting, MEC members will talk about working with members of the Milton Police and Fire-Rescue departments to make them more comfortable, knowledgeable, and prepared around horses and other large animals.

This press release was produced by the City of Milton. The views expressed here are the author’s own.