LAWTON – The city of Lawton may close some of its parks, which would make it easier for Parks and Recreation Department staffers to maintain the remaining parkland.
But officials have not decided yet which parks should close.
The Lawton City Council tackled that question during a special meeting Tuesday at City Hall but did not make any decisions. Council members Jay Burk and Onreka Johnson were absent.
The meeting gave council members another chance to weigh in on the city’s master plan for parks, which provides a road map for improving Lawton’s parks, recreation programs, trails and open space. The council began considering the plan in December 2021 but wanted more time to study it before moving forward.
The Texas-based engineering firm Halff Associates, which developed the plan, recommended closing some of the city’s 74 parks to reduce the burden of maintenance on the Parks and Recreation Department. However, it’s up to the council to decide which parks should be closed.
Councilman Randy Warren, who represents Ward 8, said he did not want to lose green space without a promise that the city would upgrade the remaining parks in his ward.
“I feel like I’ve got to have some kind of promise or some kind of understanding that when we all give up these parks, we’re not going to end up with just less parks,” he said. “We’re going to have some quality parks – fewer but nicer.”
Deputy City Manager Dewayne Burk said the master plan offers the city to evaluate its park system and decide how to proceed. But he noted that the final decision on closing specific parks rests with the council.
“And so, as opposed to going through specific parks and saying, ‘I want to keep this one or get rid of this one,’ you have the list,” Burk said. “And once we endorse the plan, I would say we get a little more into the weeds and start really identifying those specific parks that we can all agree on.”
Hearing from residents
Some council members urged the residents of their ward to speak up as the council continues studying the parks plan.
Council member Linda Chapman, who represents Ward 3, said she had reached out to her constituents about the possibility of closing certain parks but had not heard back from them.
“I’ve actually had zero communication on which parks that they felt like they could give up,” she said. “So that’s sort of frustrating on my part, because I don’t get any input back from people who live in my ward.”
Council member Mary Ann Hankins, who represents Ward 1, said she would like to know how the people in her ward felt about closing parks.
“I haven’t heard from them, and I want to hear,” she said. “So don’t be afraid to call me or send me an email and express your opinion.”
The council will discuss the parks plan again on Feb. 22.