Belle Park Board initiative on September city meeting agenda

By Roxie Murphy, Staff Writer
Posted 9/7/22

BELLE — A group of citizens and local organizations are prepared to request the Belle Board of Aldermen appoint some of their members to form a Belle City Park Board at the Sept. 13 city …

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Belle Park Board initiative on September city meeting agenda

Posted

BELLE — A group of citizens and local organizations are prepared to request the Belle Board of Aldermen appoint some of their members to form a Belle City Park Board at the Sept. 13 city meeting.

Belle Mayor Daryl White, Jr., said Tuesday that a park board discussion will be on the Sept. 13 meeting agenda.

“Park Board will be discussed,” White said. “Anybody can be considered but we are just focusing on members of organizations right now that can be representatives and go back to their boards to share information.”

Aldermen would have to approve and appoint a park board with a vote.

“It’s not something we (as a town) have done in a while,” White said, adding that he doesn’t know exactly when a park board was last instated. “It has to go through the proper channels. It will have to have its own by-laws and officers. It’s been several years since we had one.”

White said they have discussed having someone from every organization in town be appointed to the park board.

“We went to every group and had great discussions,” he said. “Everyone had something different.”

Belle Businessman Jimmy Zumwalt called an initial meeting with all of the organizations to propose the idea.

Zumwalt, who is not part of any of the organizations, invited all of the groups to a meeting to suggest they form a consortium of sorts that would benefit the park. All organizations that were invited actively use the park, including the Belle Community Betterment Association, Tri-County Youth League, Belle Fair Board, Ya Yas, and others.

Zumwalt also proposed a membership fee from each organization annually to help improve the park.

“They talked about all of the things the park needs,” White said. “New grandstand bleachers at the softball field, a campground for trail users, and a new concession stand at the baseball field.”

More information will be taken about instating a park board at the Sept. 13 meeting that will be held at the Belle-Bland Community Center. Meeting notices will be posted on the doors of Belle City Hall and the Lonnie Feeler Memorial Building. The city plans to continue posting meeting notices on each of its Facebook pages and website after it hires a website administrator.