The Eldred Township supervisors and a handful of residents met with a professional landscape architect on Thursday night to discuss plans for a park renovation. The park is located between the Eldred Township Community Center and the municipal building.

The supervisors decided to get the input of a professional designer in order to pursue grant funding for the project. Plans to redesign the park have been discussed for several years, with members of the Parks and Recreation Committee submitting ideas, as well as residents.

Currently, a high chain-link fence runs along the edge of the park on Kunkletown Road. The playground equipment is at the back of the park and a large field lies between it and the main road.

Jayson Wood, a design director and landscape architect with Woodland Design Associates Inc. in Honesdale, met with the group and explained his ideas.

Wood’s design replaces the playground with new equipment with one for toddlers and young children close to the parking lot, and the other playground for older children. A single bathroom would be located next to the toddler playground.

Wood suggested using rubber mats at the base of the sliding boards, a blue and gray rubber mulch in some areas and regular wood mulch at the swings.

A walking path would meander in an S-shape through the playground and curve up toward the road with one branch going to a 40-foot by 22-foot pavilion, and second branch going to the lower end of two pickleball courts. A third branch would loop up closer to the road and back to the parking lot.

A line of trees would replace the current chain-link fence, and a lower fencing would be placed in some areas. The group told Woods that fencing needs to run behind the playground, because there is a steep drop in that location.

Wood said one loop around the park would be about 900 feet of walking path. Benches would be placed along the walkway.

One of his goals is to make everything Americans with Disabilities Act compliant.

“We’re really going to focus on ADA accessible routes — having ADA paved or concrete walkways that are 6 feet wide at a minimum, 2% max slope,” he said.

Wood said he wants people to be able to access as many activities as possible.

The residents also had some comments about the dual pickleball courts.

“Do we have that many people in Kunkletown that are going to play pickleball,” resident Doug Borger asked.

After some discussion, the decision was made to have one pickleball court and a dedicated half-court basketball court.

“I’m happy to take one of these out,” Wood said.

The residents also suggested taking away the second walkway that goes to the lower portion of the courts, since the upper walkway goes there as well.

Borger said he thinks removing that walkway will provide a large grassy area for people to play football. The group also decided to connect the top loop to the playground.

Wood said the township had asked him about having a splash pad or misting station at the park for hot summer days.

“They’re very maintenance intensive,” he said.

Wood cautioned that they are nearly as expensive as running a community pool and require additional permitting and training for the public works staff due to the water aspect.

“It’s not worth the liability,” he said.

The supervisors and residents understood and agreed with his advice not to include a splash pad or misting station.

With everyone in agreement of the plans, Wood said he would revise them and get them back to the township. When the township is ready, Wood said he can also help in filing the applications for the grants.

Copies of the plan that was presented are available in the township office.