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Park board president outlines proposal to transfer most of Cummings Field property to school
Summary
Jason Paradis, president of the Oaks Park Board, told the school board the park board owns the parcels around Cummings Field and described a proposal to transfer most non‑Veterans Park parcels to the school in a nominal conveyance; no decisions were made at the meeting.
Jason Paradis, president of the Oaks Park Board, presented a site map and told the school board that the park board owns the land around Cummings Field and Veterans Park. Paradis said the board has discussed transferring most of the parcels south of Main to the school for a nominal price ("$0 or $1" as described at the meeting) while retaining Veterans Park under park‑board control.
The presentation was informational only; the chair emphasized no decisions would be made that day. Paradis said maintenance of the property is currently part of a service contract the park board holds with the City of Oaks and that those maintenance arrangements — mowing, groundskeeping and some utilities — would need to be resolved if ownership shifts.
Why it matters: transferring the parcels would shift routine maintenance costs and decision‑making about field use and improvements to the school. Paradis gave preliminary cost context: he cited electricity for lighting (about $800) and an estimated pro‑rata annual maintenance share of roughly $10,000 if the city remained involved; several dollar figures in the spoken presentation were unclear in the transcript and are reported here as presented by the speakers.
Paradis described how third‑party groups use the fields: the American Legion historically maintains the baseball infield during summer in exchange for access, and larger repairs have in the past been shared between users. He recommended surveying and replatting the area so the roads could be dedicated as public roads if desired; he said an engineer estimated a $2,000–$3,000 cost to survey and describe the parcels.
Board members asked about easements and an existing joint‑powers contract covering maintenance and use. One member noted a 50‑year term in the joint‑powers agreement and asked what would happen if the school declined particular parcels; Paradis said he was not involved in drafting that contract and described its language as unclear.
No formal motion or vote was taken. The board thanked the visitors and moved on to the next agenda item.
Quote: "All this land is owned by the park board," Paradis said during the presentation, stressing that ownership and maintenance commitments under the current contract with the city require clarification.
Ending: The presentation was informational; the board did not take action and indicated follow‑up questions would be forwarded to the presenters for clarification.
