Pensacola City Councilwoman Jewel Cannada-Wynn has wanted to permanently close the Morris Court playground for months, despite opposition from the neighborhood. She and Mayor Ashton Hayward had presented an agenda item to give the land to the Area Housing Commission to build more low-income housing.
WEAR TV 3 reports that Cannada-Wynn has pulled the item because she is awaiting additional information from the housing authority. In November 2016, Cannada-Wynn tried to do the same thing, but protests from the community made her take it off the agenda and hold a town hall meeting at the Fricker Center, which was poorly attended.
For the first time in year, the playground was opened yesterday when Pierre Robinson, executive director of the Robinson Harris Academy of Music (RHAM), received permission from the city to let children play there. See report.
Other reports:
Next Pensacola City Hall headache: Morris Court playground
Morris Court playground gets reprieve
Pensacola: Morris Court and Tanyard topics of Fricker meeting
Morris Court playground closure to be debated
I don’t currently live in the city limits but do have family that do, the Morris Ct., Hill area has been home to many of this city’s important black celebrities,athletes ,politicians more than that a very historical area. Pensacola has been plagued by crime in every area so to deprive our childrens the right to a playground in their own community is not right. The city of Pensacola has the duty to maintain that park and any of park in the city and not transfer it to someone else to build more apartment which are not needed there City of Pensacola you’re taking the taxes elected officials DO THE JOB YOU ARE ELECTED TO DO OR STEP DOWN.
Great suggestion about Lumon’s sports group. Someone needs to show a little empathy AND energy here. What is up with Jewell?
The Channel 3 story that ran yesterday had a title that inferred that it was the Area Housing Authority that was leading the charge to get rid of the park – “Pensacola park’s future threatened by low income housing proposal.” I thought that it was Mayor Hayward and Councilwoman Cannada-Wynn who was pushing to close down Morris Court Park and that once done the land reverted to the Area Housing Commission. In future reporting, it would be helpful to know which party to most hold accountable – the Area Housing Commission or the Hayward/Cannada-Wynn wing of city hall. On the upside, kudos to private citizens like Pierre Robinson who is showing leadership so lacking in city hall. Perhaps the City Council should enter into long-term contract for a a private group like Lumon May’s Southern Youth Sports Association to run this and other city parks if city hall is unable and/or unwilling to do so. One thing we know for sure. A city park mostly used by white people would not be allowed to get as run down or as ignored. By the way, perhaps someone could later tell us why the city has a so-called Parks & Recreation Board? What do they even do? From my own experience as a resident of the city’s District 1, I see no evidence they care about the city’s parks.