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07/19/2017 08:30 AMResponding to rising community interest, the Parks & Recreation Commission has recently selected the home for a new disc golf course: Peddlers Park. While there are checks and approvals needed before a park can be built, Parks & Recreation Director Rick Maynard said excitement is already building.
Disc golf is a game that combines Frisbee and golf. A golfer is given a disc and has a certain number of throws to reach the “hole,” which is a stand with a chain basket sitting on top. Parks & Recreation Director Rick Maynard said disc golf is “growing like crazy” across the state. Nearly 80 people of all ages and experience levels came out to play in the town tournament in the fall and Maynard said having a regular course can draw in even more enthusiasts.
The commission had been considering two locations, Bittner Park on Route 77 and Peddlers Park on Peddlers Road, for the course. Maynard said the commission ultimately went with Peddlers after looking at the space and considering the level of activity already at both parks.
“Peddlers offered a lot more,” he said. “It is stand-alone—there is nothing else there and at Bittner there are so many crossing trails and there was concern about the discs flying…We have been thinking about how we need to reclaim this [Peddlers Park] and this comes up as a great idea for there because it makes use of the resource that is there.”
Peddlers Park offers 30 acres of land with only a few trail heads. Maynard said the property is perfect for the 18-hole course and said he has two volunteers—one who has previously designed a course and another who is a professional disc golfer—at the ready to help design the course.
“There is a sort of tentative design already laid out on a map,” he said. “It could change but the best thing is to get out there and walk it.”
Designers have already been out in the park multiple times and Maynard said other volunteers are getting ready to help out with other aspects of the park, having recently spoken with two eagle scout candidates looking to build tee boxes (the spot from which a player throws the Frisbee) and potentially an entrance kiosk and course benches. In addition to physical labor, Maynard said people are lining up to help with the financial aspects of establishing a course.
Speaking with officials from other towns, Maynard said he is estimating the course will cost about $15,000 and said there are very few other recreational amenities that can be built for that little money.
“That is an average cost,” he said. “One town said there is no maintenance cost. It is a very inexpensive, but possible wonderful recreational amenity. People will want to come and play on this course.”
The Parks & Recreation Commission now has an application in with the Inland Wetlands Commission and will then go to the Planning & Zoning Commission for a site plan approval as Maynard said some additional parking is needed. Once all approvals are in hand, Maynard said he expects things will move quickly.
“Once all of the approvals happen, the volunteers are going to be there and they want to get this done,” he said.