John Ford Park Disc Golf in Easton & Easton Point Boathouse Plans

Two of Easton's parks are about to change. A one-year disc golf pilot is headed for John F. Ford Park, and a rowing boathouse with a pier is being considered for Easton Point Park on the Tred Avon. Neither project reached the Town Council as a direct up-or-down vote on the idea itself. The disc golf course moved forward through a parks plan and a budget line the Council had already approved. The boathouse moved forward through an agreement with the rowing groups before any design existed. Both projects are also built to stay open after approval. The disc golf course is designed to come out if needed, and the boathouse still has to pass more town review. For anyone who walks the meadow at Ford Park or launches a kayak at Easton Point, the coming year is when these two projects actually get settled.

How Disc Golf Reached John Ford Park

John F. Ford Park is Town-owned and listed at 58 acres. It has open space, a playground, a walking track, exercise stations, restrooms, and parking. The town's facility listing describes the track as 0.4 miles and notes educational habitat, tree, and bug signs along with multi-purpose fields and a tot lot. The park is named for John Ford, who served on the Town Council from 2003 and was council president when he died in February 2020.

An 18-hole course was proposed to the Council in April by local disc golf players. Their case was simple. According to WBOC's reporting, the nearest existing course is at Tuckahoe State Park, about 30 minutes from Easton. They presented it as a low-cost sport open to every age.

The process is what explains the timing. As the Star Democrat reported, the course only needed approval from the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board. That board has six residents, appointed by the mayor and confirmed by the Council for three-year terms. The Council's role came earlier, at two points. It approved the board's annual plan in November 2025, which listed disc golf as an action item. It also approved Mayor Megan Cook's fiscal year 2027 budget, which included $17,500 for the course.

At the September meeting, Ward 1 Councilwoman Maureen Curry asked whether the Council would vote on the proposal. Her ward includes the park. Town Attorney Sharon VanEmburgh answered that the Council had already approved the annual parks plan and budget. She added that day-to-day park programming is generally handled by the mayor and town staff as an administrative matter. The Talbot Spy's account of that meeting carried the headline "Who Gets to Decide on John Ford Park." Its story put the process question at the center of the evening.

Why the Board Chose Ford Park

The board looked at three Town-owned sites. Easton Point Park and Easton Woodland Park were both reviewed and not chosen. Mayor Cook explained the choice in a written statement:

"Members of the board personally visited multiple Town-owned sites and scored them on course viability. Based on this evaluation, the Board determined that John F. Ford Park is the most practical location due to its available space, accessibility, parking, minimal environmental impact, and low installation and maintenance costs."

The footprint figure gives the most useful sense of scale. Council President Abbatiello said the board's report found the course would affect about 1.25 acres of the park's more than 14 acres of meadow. That is less than a tenth of the meadow. The meadow is also the part of the park that opponents describe as its reason for existing. The Friends of John Ford Park effort formed around protecting it. Members of the namesake's family spoke against the location and the process. Councilwoman Curry said she believed the neighborhood would be "overrun every time there is a disc golf tournament." Public comment at that meeting ran more than 30 minutes.

What Goes in the Ground, and What Can Come Back Out

The pilot is designed so that it can be undone. The course can be removed if the town decides against it, which gives the year ahead real weight. Under the plan described by WBOC, crews will build wooden tee box frames and hold off on artificial turf until the town decides whether the course becomes permanent. The baskets will sit in removable sleeves. A draft layout map came from Greg Mueller of the town, and staff said changes were still coming. The town manager named finalizing that layout as the next step, with the goal of moving forward this fall. As of mid-October, no published report has confirmed that installation is finished.

Mayor Cook's statement lists what the town will assess before making a permanent decision:

1. Usage
2. Safety
3. Environmental impacts
4. Maintenance needs
5. Community feedback

Several commitments made at the meeting speak directly to the neighbors' worries about parking and crowds:

• No pop-up tournaments. Town Manager Andy Kitzrow said the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board would make sure there are none. Councilwoman Curry asked to be kept informed about any tournaments that are held.
• A designated parking lot. The town says the board of education parking lot can be used for park purposes.
• Parking directions in the app. Course organizers plan to post clear parking instructions on UDisc, the app players use to find courses.

One request from that coverage is still open. Some neighbors told WBOC they want a public way to evaluate the course throughout the trial year. That means scoring criteria published at the start of the pilot year, rather than a single verdict at the end. None of the reporting so far shows how the five measures above will be scored. That will be the clearest thing to watch for as the course opens.

The Same Question Came Up at Easton Point

The process debate did not stay at Ford Park. At the same September 8 meeting, the Council considered Resolution No. 6227, an agreement with Freedom Rowers, Inc. and Eastern Shore Community Rowers, Inc. for a boathouse and related facilities at Easton Point Park. Council members supported the idea and approved the agreement. Several also said they would have preferred to know about the proposal earlier.

The boathouse is at a much earlier stage than the disc golf course. At the Parks Advisory Board's September 22 meeting, Town Engineer Rick Vandenberg said the proposal remains conceptual. So far the plans include a boathouse for rowing shells and a pier, and public restrooms might be built into the building. Under the arrangement, the rowing organizations would develop the design and the town would provide the site. The project would then go through the town's review process, likely including the Planning Commission and the Parks Advisory Board. An earlier concept drawing by architect Mitch Hager exists, but final plans have not been approved. Board members asked for more detail on the agreement. They invited Chloe Allen, executive director and head coach of Freedom Rowers, to a future meeting to explain the rowing groups' plans.

Rowing already happens on this stretch of water. Eastern Shore Community Rowers lists its boatyard at 770 Port Street in Easton and rows on the Tred Avon from April through November. The town lists a free kayak launch at Easton Point Park. A permanent boathouse and pier would add more structures to a waterfront park that paddlers already use. If the restrooms are built, they would be a new public amenity on that shoreline.

Two Projects at Different Stages

The two projects started from the same kind of approval: the Council signed off on the general plan before the details reached the public. They differ in where the decision now sits. The disc golf course will be judged on how it works during its first year in the meadow. The boathouse will be decided at the drawing stage, in public review meetings, before anything is built. Easton's town agendas and minutes page posts recordings of the Parks Advisory Board and Council meetings where both projects will come up next.

Easton's parks are part of what makes home here, and so is the shoreline at Easton Point. Shawn is an Eastern Shore native and a licensed Master Captain, and Meagan pays close attention to the details that shape how a place feels day to day. If you have questions about life near John Ford Park, Easton Point, or anywhere else along the river, Shawn Moore and Meagan are happy to talk it through with you. Let's find your perfect home together.

This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.