Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Parks Ownership topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
College Hill resident urges USD 501 board to resolve Boswell Park ownership with county
Summary
A College Hill resident asked the school board to act on a multi-year ownership dispute over Boswell Park, saying maintenance and improvements are suspended while Shawnee County awaits final action from USD 501.
Laura Burton, a College Hill resident and parent, asked the Topeka Public Schools Board of Education during public communications to take action to resolve ownership of Boswell Park. Burton said the issue "is a discussion that's now entering year 3" between USD 501 and Shawnee County Parks and Recreation, and that because USD 501 holds title the park is not being scheduled for improvements.
Burton told the board the county has performed maintenance since the 1990s and that there was a prior proposal to trade Boswell Park for track-and-field space at Central Park. "That is a great solution that makes a lot of sense," she said, but she added that "for the last 6 months, nothing has happened" and that the county has told neighborhood residents the county is awaiting action from USD 501.
Burton asked the board to place the matter on a future agenda and urged the board to act with urgency so neighborhood maintenance and improvements can proceed. The board did not take formal action on the request during the meeting; Burton spoke during the public comment period.
