Residents asked the commission for a detailed accounting of the stalled redevelopment of Robert and Mary Kane Park and urged a clear, phased plan for future work. Virgil Marshall, a resident, asked the city manager to "find out where the breakdown was" on earlier attempts to develop the park and noted the parcel'by'parcel history dating to 2005 and 2008.

The city manager replied that portions of the site had been surveyed and identified as wetlands, which limited expansion. He said when he arrived the site had previously been used as a dump and that the city had only been able to cobble funding for lighting, irrigation and grass work. He also announced a public meeting focused on the park for Nov. 13 at St. Luke Missionary Baptist Church.

Representatives of the local soccer club told the commission they are not seeking exclusive control of the park and asked instead for a partnership to improve field safety and maintenance. Kelly Fuqua (Kelly Chenelli), representing St. Andrews Soccer Club, said the organization supports broader park development such as walking paths and playgrounds and emphasized: "We are not asking for exclusive use, never have."

City staff said they are in the process of screening roughly 80 applicants for the parks director position and plan a multi-stage interview process to select a long'term candidate. Commissioners and residents voiced support for an adopt-a-park program and suggested the city finalize a detailed parks-management policy and an adopt-a-park framework once a new director is in place.

Why it matters: The park serves neighbors and youth teams and has repeatedly surfaced in public meetings. Citizens asked for transparency about prior decisions, a formal process for park partnerships and a consistent adopt-a-park program to stabilize maintenance and community investment.

Next steps announced at the meeting included the Nov. 13 public session on the park and a city commitment to proceed with the parks director hiring process; commissioners recommended deferring any formal adopt-a-park program rollout until the new director has assessed citywide park needs.