The Dillon Town Council decided during a work session Tuesday, Jan. 16, that it would prioritize the completion of the town park over a project to create a pedestrian plaza in the town core.

Dillon Town Council member Kyle Hendricks suggested that the $800,000 budgeted for the creation of a walkable pedestrian plaza at Village Place instead go toward completing the town park, including installing a small stage.

“It just made sense to me to spend that money to finish up town park instead of working on that alley, where who knows what happens with the redevelopment there,” Hendricks said. “Why put a new face on something when we have no idea of whether it will blend in with everything else.”

Not all the council members agreed with Hendricks that the Village Place project should be delayed in order to complete town park first. But in the end, Mayor Carolyn Skowyra noted that five members appeared to be in favor of finishing town park first and directed town staff to move forward with the change in priorities.

Still, according to town staff, it wasn’t entirely clear if work on the town park could get completed next summer if priorities were swapped due to the need for design plans and other work.

Last time the town’s walkability consultants, Clark & Enersen, presented on the plans for Village Place, the architecture and engineering firm recommended a pedestrian plaza with a heated sidewalk system, firepits, planters and chairs for gathering.

Town Council has discussed the Village Place space as a potential location for pop-up markets, food trucks and winter lighting. But many council members noted the proposed redevelopment of the town core could impact the area in unforeseen ways.

Council member Tony Scalise said that postponing the Village Place project to allow more time for future development plans to come to fruition could make the proposed pedestrian plaza “more seamless” with the town core as a whole.

Skowyra said she was in favor of completing town park first, in part so that there can be another location for free live music other than the Dillon Amphitheater.

But council member Brad Bailey said he would like to complete the Village Place pedestrian plaza before working on the next phase of town park.

“We’re trying to get some traction in the town core,” Bailey said. “To me, this is just a way to get something going. It’s expensive and it’s risky, but I hate to see us turn our back on that project.”