COVINGTON, Ga. — County commissioners are scheduled to receive information about their recently approved Parks and Recreation Master Plan during a work session before their regular meeting Tuesday, Sept. 21.

The Newton County Board of Commissioners is set to meet at 6 p.m. for a work session with facilitator Aaron St. Pierre of Lose Designs to discuss the master plan, including a series of community meetings, for the county’s 12 parks and recreation facilities.

Board members Aug. 17 voted unanimously to approve a contract with Tennessee-based planning firm Lose & Associates for a Comprehensive Master Plan for the Recreation Department. Lose Designs is part of Lose & Associates.

County Manager Lloyd Kerr said board members’ interest earlier this year in doing new park projects led him to recommend a comprehensive plan to determine what facilities existed, where new projects were needed and how they could be funded.

The plan will include information on expected county population growth patterns, an assessment of existing facilities, and recommendations for future park construction and staffing and financing, said county projects director Jeff Prine.

A series of community meetings in each commission district also are planned to determine residents’ desires for recreation facilities in unincorporated Newton County, Prine said.

“We’re opening it up for ideas from the community,” he said.

According to the contract, work on the master plan is to be completed by Dec. 7. The recommendations from Lose Designs will be combined with suggestions from the public and commissioners to create a final report to be give to the Board, he said.

Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax funds will be used to pay the $93,500 cost of the plan, officials said.