Stonington — Residents will get their first look at the possible future of Spellman Park this week when the town hosts a public presentation of the conceptual master plan for the park while it gives them a second look at plans for the Circus Lot.

The public presentation is scheduled for 6 p.m. Thursday at the police department, and the town is seeking public feedback on the plans.

“Opportunities for outdoor recreation are important for residents of all ages. We are looking forward to obtaining further input on the plans for the Circus Lot and sharing ― for the first time ― opportunities for enhancing the offerings of the Spellman Park Recreational Facility,” First Selectman Danielle Chesebrough said Thursday.

The revised Spellman Park master plan, designed by Chad Frost, a landscape architect, shows new and upgraded facilities that improve the usability of the large property adjacent to Stonington High School and the Human Services building.

The current master plan is 50 years old.

Richard Ward, recreation administrator, said Thursday that an enlarged entrance at the junction of Spellman Drive and Route 1 would make traffic flow more easily, especially during peak traffic hours, such as around school dismissal times, and sidewalks and stone dust walkways on either side of Spellman Drive that flow throughout the park would increase pedestrian safety and walkability.

The plan proposes adding public restrooms and additional parking in several lots throughout the park, as well as improving many of the recreational facilities on the property.

The biggest changes will include the addition of six more pickleball courts, a dog park, replacing the outdated playground with new equipment, adding a splash pad and a traffic garden, which is a paved area replete with traffic signs and crosswalks to help teach new bike riders how to safely navigate riding on actual roadways. Central benches will allow parents a place to sit where they can easily supervise children playing in any of the three areas.

An existing fitness area with older equipment would get an upgrade with property maintenance and new equipment. Nearby, the plan adds a picnic area.

The plan rearranges many of the awkward roadways and relocates some existing features like batting cages to increase the usability of the property and proposes improving hiking trails in the rear of the park and adding trail maps.

There is no cost associated with the plan yet, as the town seeks resident feedback on the design, and the various proposed improvements could be phased over time.

“We are open to more input,” Ward said, noting that the real work of the project, including fundraising, is the next step.

Circus lot plan

The town will also give residents a second look at plans for an overgrown property in Pawcatuck known as the “Circus Lot,” because it once hosted Tomkin’s Wild West Show, a traveling circus.

The plan for a $2.2 million riverfront park at the end of Noyes Avenue, also developed by Frost, would fill a void of outdoor recreation space in Pawcatuck between West Vine Street School and the former Pawcatuck Middle School.

The low maintenance park would include a concrete walkway and shade trees encircling an oval grass lawn the size of a youth soccer field.

The plan also shows a natural playground with logs and rocks, slides built into a hillside, shade structures, a small event space with picnic tables, two public fishing areas and a kayak or canoe launching area.

The proposed entrance to the park, located off Noyes Avenue, would have an evergreen buffer to provide privacy for neighborhood residents and a 22-car parking lot.

In February, town meeting voters overwhelmingly approved spending $35,000 to buy the property back from Westerly. Chesebrough’s office confirmed Thursday that the purchase is almost complete.

Cheesebrough said that the town has been seeking federal and grant funding for the project, and in May, U.S. Rep Joe Courtney, D-2nd District, had selected the town’s application for $2.7 million in congressionally directed funding to send to the Appropriations Committee.

She cautioned that there are a number of hurdles the funding has to clear before the town would know if it would receive the money to bring the Circus Lot plans to fruition.

“If residents are unable to attend the meeting, we encourage them to still share feedback. We will have an online survey and also welcome input via email, call or in-person meetings,” said Chesebrough.

A link to a public feedback survey on the plans is available on the town website.