The Southwest Parks Working Group released their plan Monday for expanding recreation, park and therapeutic recreation opportunities originally envisioned for McCoy Park.
The group was formed after previous upgrades for McCoy Park were canceled for the proposed National Women's Soccer League training facility.
“The Southwest community asked for more parks and recreation amenities, and I’m keeping that promise,” said Mayor Andrew J. Ginther. “I commit to enacting the solutions of the working group and upping the city’s investment in the neighborhood to $35 million in parkland to serve 40,000 residents. I’m grateful to the working group for proving we’re a ‘yes-and’ community – that we can invest in a professional women’s sports and grow park and recreation opportunities and access for our neighbors.”
Their solution report contains three land recommendations, including a new nine-acre Greenleaf Park, development of the northern part of McCoy Park and creation of an adaptive softball field to Berliner Sports Park. Officials say the plan will allocate $35 million and would serve nearly 50,000 residents within a two-mile drive. Previous plans would have cost $20 million and reached 16,566 residents.
The multisite plans prioritize three public areas with accessibility features such as possible universally accessible playgrounds, regulation-sized wheelchair softball pad or Miracle Field, therapeutic recreation indoor facility and more.
“The workgroup Council authorized worked diligently to create a plan in 60 days that will provide recreational and green space the southwest community lost,” said Councilmember Nancy Day-Achauer, who chairs the Neighborhoods, Recreation, and Parks committee. “The community representatives from the SWAC advocated tirelessly for their community’s needs to ensure that they received the amenities they were promised for McCoy Park. I fully trust SWAC Chair Liz Reed’s support for the plan and will work to ensure that it is carried out.”
However, some disagreements remain. Lifelong Columbus resident Jennifer Crayton has been outspoken about her disapproval of the proposed training facility for a new NWSL. Crayton said she is still not satisfied with the Southwest Park Working Group plans. According to her research, the new plans have a net loss of at least 10 acres from the original McCoy Park design.
“Looking over the data, looking over the legislation, we're still losing. We are not gaining any of the original plans,” said Crayton. “It feels like accessibility has been put on the back burner. There are some great plans, but they're not accessible for all.”
McCoy Park was one of the most accessible outdoor places for her family to as her husband lacks mobility from conflict related injuries in Iraq. Crayton stressed that even though the parks may serve 50,000 residents who are within a two-mile drive, a large population lack vehicles or access to public transportation to reach greenspace.
For resident Amanda Runyon Lynch, accessibility is one of her main concerns as her daughter is a person with disabilities.
“There's no sidewalks in those neighborhoods. And, McCoy Park, the original place, is closer to the center of the city and would have been more easily -- you could get there more easily than Greenleaf, which might as well be in Grove City,” said Lynch.
Runyon Lynch is mainly concerned about accessible bathrooms with universal changing tables and ramp parking access. She stressed that adaptive equipment doesn’t just help people with disabilities, but aids everyone.
“What happens a lot of times when we make things accessible is that people find new uses for them,” said Runyon Lynch. “Like curb cuts ended up being like, ‘oh it's helpful if I have a grocery cart.’ And like if you have a changing table in a bathroom, it's helpful for an old person that has to sit down to put on their socks.”
Crayton and Runyon Lynch said they believe Ginther and members of Columbus City Council have implied those who oppose the the NWSL using McCoy Park are sexist to refuse women's sports in Columbus. They believe the issue at hand is about equity in a historically-overlooked neighborhood.
The plan is still set to have a public hearing and vote by Columbus City Council following their summer recess. The Columbus City Council will meet again on Aug. 24 at 5 p.m.
