Residents urge larger Forestdale park; city staff says $650,000 plus development fees set aside

Dozens of residents of the Forestdale neighborhood told the White House City Council on Aug. 19 that the city’s proposed fiscal 2025–26 budget does not allocate enough money to build the park they were promised during development. At a public hearing, multiple speakers urged the council to increase funding and include amenities such as basketball courts, walking paths and pickleball courts so children and families would have a safe place to gather. The speakers’ concerns center on the line items staff identified in the proposed budget. City staff said the proposal includes $650,000 in the 2022 certificates-of-obligation capital fund for Forestdale Park plus about $105,000 tracked in a development-fee account, meaning roughly $755,000 is being held for the project before grant funds are added or concept costs are known. “I oppose this budget because it does not allocate enough money for the park and forest,” said Butch Hall, a Forestdale developer and…