Parks staff asks council to adopt George Washington Carver Park master plan; four cost options presented

April Firth, administrator for Parks and Outdoors, presented the George Washington Carver Park master plan during the Dec. 16 council meeting and asked the council to adopt the plan so staff can pursue grant funding.

Firth said the master plan was paid for with a REACH grant and that the plan is a precondition for many funding applications. She summarized community engagement activities — seven focus groups, two community meetings and a large open house attended by 140 residents — and said public priorities included shade, gathering and social spaces, multiuse pathways, play spaces and improved sight lines.

Staff presented four cost options for the park: Option 1 at $10 million (base park revitalization with lawn, pavilion, walking promenades, playgrounds, wetland boardwalks and educational signage); Option 2 at $15 million (adds organized sports facilities and renovated fields); Option 3 at $22 million (adds multiuse fields in recognition of the site’s history as one of the city’s first Black golf courses); and Option 4 at $26 million (full buildout including an aquatics facility). Firth said the City currently has no construction funding for the project and that adoption of the plan would position the city for grant applications. She noted that lighting for Jim Cotton Ball Field is planned for 2026 using previously approved deferred maintenance funds.

Firth requested formal adoption so staff can begin pursuing grants and other funding sources; council members thanked staff and several members expressed support. No construction funding was approved during the meeting.