Many thanks to each of the 57+ participants at the Kickoff Public Forum on August 11th, including community residents, Councilman Weeks and Mayor McFarlane!
The Kickoff Public Forum hosted approximately 57 park stakeholders, including community residents, elected officials, and media representatives. Mayor Nancy McFarlane gave remarks at the opening of the Public Forum, and then demonstrated her commitment to the Chavis Park Community Conversation process by staying throughout the forum, engaging with the participants, and visiting the various stations.
Participants at the forum shared considerations and feedback during a group discussion facilitated by Vernice Miller-Travis of Skeo Solutions. While many participants shared their frustration about the lack of equal investment in Chavis Park and its maintenance over the past several decades, they still agreed to participate in the Chavis Park Community Conversation process going forward. Vernice Miller-Travis asked the participants whether they are committed to engaging in this process, and whether they are committed to staying at the table as long as it takes, and the participants enthusiastically responded with a resounding “Yes!”
Following the group discussion, participants circulated through several stations to share feedback on priorities for the park and the Public Leadership Group nominee list. Former Central CAC leader F. Lonnette Williams shared in a post-event note to Parks and Recreation staff that people were engaged and honored in a way that she had never seen before.
Next steps for the project include:
- A list of final Public Leadership Group nominees will be submitted to the Parks Board on September 13th for approval on September 20th before being considered by City Council on October 2nd.
- A summary of participant input from the Forum will be posted on the website soon!