Volunteers from Brookhaven’s parks have joined together to create an umbrella organization for parks in the city.
Calling itself the Park and Recreational Coalition of Brookhaven, or PARC, the group says it plans to promote and support improvement and maintenance of all the city’s parks.
The coalition includes representatives from “friends of the parks” groups, neighborhood groups, and conservancies. The coalition evolved out of the Governor’s Commission on Brookhaven Parks Committee, which created a report on parks last year prior to the start up of the city.
They recently met again to review their efforts and discuss the parks and decided to form PARC. The group is a volunteer effort and is not affiliated with the city of Brookhaven.
According to a press release, PARC of Brookhaven hopes to become the common communication platform for area residents to discuss the city’s parks and open spaces and to communicate with city leaders about issues.
Mike Elliot of Friends of Brookhaven Park said, “Those contacts stayed alive and active and the dialogue between the park representatives and groups continued. It’s evolved a greater sense of obligation not only to individual parks, but parks in the city as a whole.”
Elliot said the coalition is eagerly awaiting the hire of a Brookhaven parks and recreation director and the start of the city’s parks and recreation master planning process.