Lowndes County”s District 5 Supervisor Leroy Brooks Thursday convened a meeting of Columbus” African-American elected officials, ministers and community leaders to inform them of the city and county”s recent efforts to locate a soccer complex in the Burns Bottom area of downtown Columbus and to discuss needed improvements to the city”s neighborhood parks.
Columbus Mayor Robert Smith, Ward 1 City Councilman Gene Taylor, Ward 4 Councilman Fred Stewart and Ward 5 Councilman Kabir Karriem attended the meeting, along with District 4 Supervisor Jeff Smith, Rev. Joe Peoples of Stephens Chapel Baptist Church, Rev. James A. Boyd of Zion Gate Missionary Baptist Church, Inc., Rev. Larry Story of Turner Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church and others.
“Nothing was decided,” said Robert Smith, noting the meeting was “an informational meeting” with Brooks bringing the ministers up-to-date on the city”s donation of 14.9 acres of land and agreement to provide water, sewage and in-kind services for the soccer complex or downtown park, as some have called the project.
The Board of Supervisors earlier voted to accept the donation and to purchase the remaining needed Burns Bottom property.
Additionally, during a recent joint meeting of the council, supervisors and Columbus-Lowndes Recreation Authority officials, the supervisors unanimously voted to commit $3.25 million to the development of the complex and alleviate the city of financial responsibility, if the city later pays to renovate the Trotter Convention Center.
But Brooks, who unsuccessfully lobbied for a commitment from the board for a comprehensive plan to renovate and revitalize existing neighborhood parks, said the vote was not legal, as the meeting only was considered a workshop, and another vote now must be taken.
“The meeting was designed to meet with the African-American preachers to bring them up to date on the status of the proposed soccer complex and to voice our concern about neighborhood parks,” he said of Thursday”s meeting which was held at the Columbus-Lowndes Development Link and of which the media was not notified. “The sentiment is, we”re not sure if money is allocated to the soccer complex, we”re not certain they will come back to vote and allocate money for neighborhood parks. We are suggesting let”s just wait until we know what it”s going to cost to renovate Sim Scott Park, Townsend Park and a gym in East Columbus. If the Board of Supervisors is going to borrow money for the soccer complex, let”s get enough money to take care of those three parks.”
Brooks noted a desire for a new building at Sim Scott Park and renovation of the Charles Brown gym at Townsend Park, including construction of a multi-purpose building and a “rubberized outdoor basketball court with a pavilion.”
Additionally, he also expressed hope for a new building for an East Columbus gym and noted CLRA Executive Director Roger Short currently is revising data of needed park renovations and estimated costs.
“We want this to be all part of a comprehensive recreation plan,” Brooks said. “We”re saying let”s just do it together. If there”s going to be money borrowed, let”s do it together. All of us are in support of the soccer complex. We just want to be sure those areas are renovated without delay. Let”s just go ahead and make a commitment.
“Our discussion (Thursday) was we wanted to say to the board (of supervisors) these are our concerns and we want them to be considered seriously,” he continued. “We are wanting to be assured neighborhood parks are not left out of the equation and we would like to have it all voted on at the same time. Everyone at the table is in support of a soccer complex, but we are concerned about neighborhood parks, because it impacts the lives of people too. We hope the board doesn”t take the position it”s a secondary issue. It”s not about race; it”s about the equitable allocation of resources. That”s all we”re saying. All of us would probably be proud of the soccer field, but all of us would also be proud of some up-to-date (park) facilities.”
“We were informed of what”s going on, relative to the soccer complex and seemingly the refusal of the three-vote majority on the Board of Supervisors to accommodate the requests of supervisors Brooks and Smith to revitalize the parks predominantly in the African-American communities,” said Story, referring to Board President and District 1 Supervisor Harry Sanders, District 2 Supervisor Frank Ferguson and District 3 Supervisor John Holliman, who voted against various motions by Brooks which would assure the supervisors committed to neighborhood parks projects, while funding the soccer complex. “It seems like there will be a standstill. It seems like the soccer moms have gotten their point across, but (we have not). I hate to put it in terms of race, but that”s what it seems like it is.”
During the joint meeting between the supervisors, the council and the CLRA, Robert Smith assured Brooks the governing bodies later would address the issue of neighborhood parks.
“I think that”s just a way of saying no,” Story said of the decision to put off further consideration of the issue until a later date. “It seems like the board (of supervisors) has historically been locked around racial lines. I think unless the three-vote majority have hearts of compassion, nothing is going to change, except you”ll see an uprising of the African-American community. People seem quick to jump on the African-American community, as far as drugs and crime, but they don”t want to make an investment in the community. It seems like there”s constant division down racial lines.”
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 41 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.