A group of Hinesburg volunteers interested in adding a park to Hinesburg village plan a special “pop-up park” event for Saturday so the community can try out the idea.
The celebration is planned for 4 to 7 p.m. at the vacant lot that sits at the corner of Vermont 116 and Farmall Drive -- the green space behind the Hinesburg Community Police and Fire Departments.
“It’s a town-owned lot right in the center of the village and nobody goes there because there's no place to sit there,” said Maggie Gordon, a volunteer and organizer of the effort. “There are no amenities. Kids kick soccer balls every once in a while but it's not on people's radar screens. It's not really a destination.”
Attendees will see visual representations that show what the space might look like if it was converted into a more permanent park, Gordon said. Community members are invited to review the installations and enjoy food, ice cream and live music. Comments and suggestions will be collected at a feedback station, she said.
“There will be an art in the park activity, a whole bunch of kids’ activities and yard games just to bring people out,” Gordon said. “The number one reason to do it is to have fun, but the other reason is to bring people out and let them see what it would look like. And to gather feedback on what they would like to see in a permanent park.”
The roughly 1.5-acre lot was donated to the town and is currently unused, Gordon noted. It has grass and a single old maple tree, which in addition to its location make it an ideal candidate for a new park, she said. The event itself was planned by a small committee, but has received support from many people and businesses in town.
“We are coordinating with the town, but we're not a town entity. We're just a pop-up committee kind of,” Gordon said. “So many things are being donated. For example, people are lending us garden benches and Adirondack chairs. We're going to borrow tables from the town hall, people are donating yard games, we’ve done a bit of fundraising. It’s place-making, which is a community-driven effort to just make a place where none exists. And so it's really not an expensive proposition.”
Alex Weinhagen, Hinesburg’s director of planning and zoning, is also part of the group planning the event and emphasized the importance of feedback they hope to get from attendees.
“Part of our planning for this festivity is a community feedback table, with pictures of various elements that could someday be in this park if the town decides to do something more permanent with these improvements,” he said. “People can write in suggestions or maybe vote for different items. It’s both part of the event and part of what we do at planning and zoning.”
Saturday’s free event will include a taco truck, ice cream sundaes, popcorn and lemonade, live music by local band Set Theory and kids’ activities by The Big Blue Truck. Admission is free, as are all the events except the taco truck.
Note on parking: Please do not park near the police or fire stations. There will be 20 on-site spaces off Farmall Drive and street parking along Farmall and Route 116 near Kinney Drugs. For those with mobility issues, four spots will be available on the connector road next to the police station.
People are encouraged to park and stroll from other village locations: United Church on Route 116, National Bank of Middlebury on Commerce Street, Hinesburg Village Center Plaza and Town Hall.
