A.G. Gancarski
When Jacksonville City Council President Anna Brosche took over the role, she prioritized improving the city’s park system.
To that end, Brosche appointed Councilman Scott Wilson to chair a special committee.
Narrative has moved quickly thus far in the Brosche era, with hot button issues ranging from term limits and Confederate statues to JAXPORT dredging and hiring new police dominating headlines.
However, the issue of Jacksonville’s parks remains to be addressed. And to that end, the Parks Committee held an organizational meeting Tuesday afternoon, with CP Brosche and Councilman Bill Gulliford on hand.
Brosche noted that she wants to “capitalize on what’s going well” in parks, while improving them and fostering the “integration of youth programming.”
Gulliford suggested a resumption of the city’s “park counselor” program, with the idea being that these staffers can serve as role models for youth.
“Regional parks are typically better suited for those things,” Gulliford said, citing organized sports via athletic associations as a mechanism for teaching young people life skills.
Gulliford suggested bringing in “youth athletic leagues” to discuss needs for their programs. Beaches programs are so successful, he said, that people are sending kids from the town itself.
Councilwoman Joyce Morgan seconded Gulliford on the utility of youth leagues, noting that churches also can serve as feeders and intermediaries for park programming, and that it’s something that is actually happening in her district already.
Soon enough, the issue of public safety came full circle, via Councilwoman Lori Boyer making the case for park security based on minimizing vandalism and improving public safety.
“In some cases, it may be a security camera at night as opposed to a person,” Boyer said. And in other cases, people will be needed on hand.
Marketing and improving the profiles of local parks: also among the subjects of discussion.
