Memphis City Council resolution regarding Overton Park

Today at 1:45 in Executive Session the Memphis City Council will present a resolution co-sponsored by nine of our City Council members that would give control of the Overton Park Greensward, including parts of Veterans Plaza, Rainbow Lake, and the Rainbow Lake Playground to the Memphis Zoo.  It should be noted that District 5 representative Worth Morgan, representatives Frank Colvett and Jamita Swearengen, along with Council Chairman Kemp Conrad, have not signed onto this resolution in its initial form.  

This resolution could be up for a vote in the council meeting at 3:30 p.m. today.

This resolution, if approved, could greatly change the face of Overton Park, jeopardize the stability of our free community resource, and be in direct breach of Overton Park Conservancy’s management agreement with the City of Memphis.

It has and remains the opinion of the Conservancy that we must work collaboratively with our park partners to find long-term solutions that would benefit each of the park’s important institutions. This resolution and potential action by the Memphis City Council circumvents the mediation currently underway between the Memphis Zoo and the Conservancy requested by the current administration and dismisses the community-wide parking and traffic planning process that is in its final phase. Implementable solutions are at hand.

Together we have the opportunity to protect one of our nation’s greatest parks, to pursue smart planning that will help one of the country’s best zoos, and to improve the visitor experience for everyone.

The resolution documents can be viewed here http://www.memphistn.gov/portals/0/pdf_forms/overton-park_1-2.pdf