Madison County nixes park closures
Madison County supervisors unanimously voted Monday to maintain four county parks previously considered for closure as part of cost-cutting measures.
The county will continue to maintain Camden Park, Fairview Park and Estes Bank and create a lease agreement with the Canton School District for A.M. Rogers Park in Canton.
Last week, District 5 Supervisor Paul Griffin noted all four parks were in predominately black neighborhoods and said the idea of closure smacked of racism.
Monday morning, community members packed into the supervisors’ board room, with dozens more filling the halls. Additionally, Canton Public School District and Madison County School District board members and Canton Mayor Arnel Bolden were present.
Danny Lee, Madison County director of Building and Grounds, told the board that a lease could not be located for A.M. Rogers Park. Camden Park is under a special warranty deed; Estes Bank Park has a one-year lease that automatically renews, and Fairview Park is under a 20-year lease initiated in 2008.
After hearing from more than a dozen concerned citizens, District 4 Supervisor David Bishop made a motion to keep the parks open, including Sulphur Springs, and enter into a new lease with the school district for A.M. Rogers Park.
The board went back and forth for several minutes and ended with Griffin removing Sulphur Springs from his motion.
Griffin then asked the board to approve a cost estimate for Sulphur Springs, phase I and II, at the next meeting. The motion passed, 4-1, with board president Trey Baxter opposed.
Monday afternoon Griffin said, "We are 85 percent there."
"It was a great opportunity for the board of supervisors to show that they care about all communities by voting to keep the parks," he said. "I'm so proud to see the voters of Madison county come out and get engaged. Today I think was a win-win situation for the taxpayers and board."
ORIGINAL STORY: Racism fuels proposed park closures says Madison supervisor
Madison County resident Stacey Spencer said she used to play at Rogers Park as a child. Now, as an adult, she goes there with her own children. Noting the park's close proximity to churches, schools and neighborhoods, Spencer said the park serves as a gathering place for many members of the community.
"I'm so highly pleased and excited we're going to keep our park and hopefully, after this, maybe the kids will get a new playground area. Maybe they'll get a second playground or a new pavilion out there so more people can come together there."
Canton Community Awareness Coordinator Hurstine Watts said keeping the parks open was the "moral thing to do."
"Everybody deserves a quality of life, and the parks ensure that," Watts said. "You can go to the park and walk or you can go to the park and run. You can go there for exercise or you can go there as a group just to fellowship, and I think it's the proper thing to do."
Contact Sarah Fowler at sfowler@gannett.com or 601-961-7303. Follow her on Facebook and Twitter.