It looks as if has called for a timeout in the game plan to open basketball courts at this year.
Council agreed Monday to discuss concerns brought up by at-large councilwoman Monique Smith.
She urged the administration to answer a few questions before moving forward on a proposal to support the Lakewood Outdoor Basketball Committee in its effort to install two middle-school sized, half courts in the grassy area just west of the Lakewood Skatepark.
Smith, the only member of council who didn’t sign a letter of support for the project earlier this year, said she like to discuss the issue further.
In a prepared statement, she outlined more than a dozen questions and concerns she has about the proposal.
Some of them included how the plan has evolved; the projected timeframe, including start date and completion date; and a “definition of goals and target population that we are attempting to serve.”
Aside from — where there’s been a — there are no public outdoor basketball courts in Lakewood.
The last public court was removed in 2007.
“I don’t necessarily want to see basketball shut down for all time, but I do want to see it managed successfully,” she said, adding that she’d like to see a plan for supervision built into the proposal. “I am concerned about some of the reports that we’ve gotten from the Kauffman courts.”
A couple of residents who live near the Kauffman Park court took the opportunity at Monday’s council meeting to speak out against proposal.
“I feel I have been ignored,” said one resident at Monday’s council meeting. “Please consider the location of where you are putting these courts.”
Mayor Michael Summers said he’s willing to discuss the issue further with council.
“They’re reasonable questions,” he said. “A lot of them I thought we’ve answered through the process, but if not, we will re-answer them.”
“I’ve been an advocate of building this court since the beginning.”
that the city will likely help out with the work, but the effort is being coordinated by the LOBC.
The citizen-led volunteer group has worked for months to get the courts built, and has already raised a majority of the $30,000 needed to build the hoops.
The organization is still seeking donations to get the project off the ground.
Ward 2 councilman Tom Bullock said he would “certainly welcome a conversation” about Smith’s concerns, but said he supports the project moving forward, and would like to see the project under way “before the snow starts falling.”
Bullock referred to a 2001 Lakewood Park master plan that calls for basketball hoops at the park.
“This is a perfectly legitimate request to discuss this in committee of the whole,” said council vice president Mary Louise Madigan. “It’s just public discourse.”
More information — including many of the answers to Smith’s questions — is available on the LOBC website. Click here to buy a brick that will support the construction of the Mark Dickens Memorial Court.
(PART 1) We have received communications from the mayor informing us that his office has agreed to allow a private local advocacy group, The Lakewood Outdoor Basketball Committee (LOBC), to build a basketball court at Lakewood Park. We have not seen a written, formal plan for what has been proposed but some information has been shared over the course of the year including the recent communication that city funds may be used to complete the project that was originally proposed to be fully funded by LOBC. By way of this letter, I would like to request that the details of this private public partnership be documented in writing and shared with council and the public more formally so that we can all fully understand the plan and have the opportunity to share feedback on this unique partnership and parks initiative. I am interested in understanding details such as: - how the plan evolved? - the projected timeframe for the project, including start date and be completion date - a definition of goals and target population that we are attempting to serve (e.g. young children, teens, adults, boys, girls, Lakewood children, all of the above?) - where the court (presumably a converted tennis court) will be located - how and why a particular park was chosen as the location for this new program - how and why the specific location of the court within the park was chosen over other locations
- how much community input was gathered on the choice of court location from those who live near the park and who regularly use nearby facilities such as Foster Pool, The Lakewood Catholic Academy pre-school playground, other tennis courts and the Kids Cove playground area - what the hours of operation for the new court will be - how and when the court will be supervised - who will supervise, and how will they be trained or screened appropriately - what the original financial commitment from LOBC was - what the original financial commitment from the administration was - a current projection of total costs to the city including labor, materials and funds - whether other private groups may begin to submit proposals to build activity-specific facilities on public parkland - Why this initiative has been chosen as a higher priority than other improvements that have been needed or requested by the public and council or outlined in the parks Master Plan
Because this information was not documented or measured in the pilot stage of the outdoor basketball court program at Kauffman Park, questions still remain for some members of the community about how to best manage an activity like this I believe that documentation of all expectations and commitments associated with this partnership will benefit everyone involved. More broadly, I think this initiative presents an opportunity to think about the overall alignment of the city recreational programming efforts, currently managed by Lakewood Public Schools, and the Public Works/Parks planning efforts, currently managed by the city. I would like to take this opportunity to invite the Mayor Council and the Lakewood School Board to discuss the larger issue of how recreational programming can best be executed to meet our community current and future needs a subject that is so critical to families who are deciding which community to choose as their permanent home. For example, how can we work together to develop and supervise drop-in recreational activities such as outdoor basketball, in a way that maintains safe and successful programming for everyone, and what criteria should we use to prioritize initiatives such as new basketball courts when other improvements and investments may be wanted and needed by the community?
As our city continues to make itself more marketable and desirable by focusing on economic development and housing improvements, we should also take time to understand the recreational priorities and expectations that today’s residents and potential residents may have when choosing a community in which to live. Please refer this communication to an appropriate council committee to discuss the above questions about the city outdoor basketball plans with the Administration. I look forward to this discussion and to future conversations about parks and recreational program planning. Sincerely Monique Smith Councilmember-at-Large
I am not opposed to questions being asked, but ONLY if each and every private organization who uses City facilities (parks, buildings, etc.) are required to answer the same questions. How about this: perhaps ALL such usage/activity should cease immediately until each and every private organization who uses City facilities answers the same questions.
The link above takes you to the City plan where the Basketball court idea originated, glad to see there is an active group supporting the vision!