Jacobsville residents ask council to add park budget line, dumpsters and amenities

Walter Branson Bennett, representing the Jacobsville Neighborhood Improvement Association, told the council on Sept. 22 that Jacobsville Park is not listed in the city budget line items and requested specific additions to the proposed city budget.

Bennett said Jacobsville has "approximately 25 members who either own property or live in the Jacobsville area" and told the council that Jacobsville has a "2% vacancy rate," which he used to argue there is demand for increased residential density and park improvements. In a written submission he left with the clerk and the controller, Bennett asked the city to add a budget line for Jacobsville Park and requested: reinstalling a larger swing or replacing the big swing that was removed; changing the park mulch to a safer alternative; adding a half baseball/basketball court with a Fulton Park–style surface; adding a water fountain; two more picnic tables; and an eventual waterproof gazebo. He also asked for additional dumpsters in the neighborhood (three locations suggested) and for JNIA to receive office supplies and a locking cabinet.

Bennett said the submission may be amended after a JNIA meeting on Sept. 26 and asked that the clerk and controller receive the document. Council staff noted a parks department meeting scheduled the next evening to discuss parks in the Third and Fourth Wards and invited Bennett to attend.

The request was entered into the meeting record; the council did not take a formal vote on the budget items at the Sept. 22 meeting. The items raised would require administrative review by the parks department and inclusion in future budget discussions if staff or council chooses to add them to the city budget.