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Residents press Oxford commissioners to deliver on long-promised neighborhood park
Summary
A resident organizing in the Grama neighborhood urged commissioners to honor a 2006 recreation master plan and prioritize a new park, saying local canvassing showed broad support and urging new planning-board appointments to improve oversight.
A Grama neighborhood organizer told the Oxford City Board of Commissioners on Tuesday that residents expect the city to follow through on a long-standing commitment in the 2006 recreation master plan to provide a park within five miles of every established community.
Jason Duncan, a resident and organizer, said the neighborhood’s canvassing and outreach found strong support for a park and for solar funding tied to the project. "Nineteen years of a broken promise is enough," Duncan said, asking the commission to "give these people what they deserve" and to consider new appointments to the planning board so the board has members who will read materials and make informed recommendations.
Commissioners discussed next steps and agreed to refer the specific Leeran/Laeran Street concerns raised by speakers to the public-safety committee and Parks & Recreation where appropriate. The board asked staff to follow up on potential solar lighting and other short-term safety measures.
Duncan also referenced past site violence and community stigma in the area and framed the park as a way to change that reputation. Commissioners acknowledged community organizing on Railroad Street Park as a model and said they would continue the referral and follow-up process.
