Mayor Diane Delaware said she thinks the best way to improve Yazoo’s parks is for the county to step aside and let the city focus on solutions.
“I’m not asking the county for anything other than for them to get out,” Delaware said. “We have had the same problems for years, and nothing has been done..”
Delaware said that she believes grant money is available to improve the parks that would more than offset the loss of the county’s financial contribution.
“There is money out there,” she said. “I promise that I’ll find more money for parks and recreation. I’ll make that commitment.”
Delaware said the argument that the county needs to have more say in the direction of the parks in order to contribute more is nonsense because the county already has equal input despite contributing less money.
“The city and county appoint an equal number of members to the Parks & Recreation board,” she said. “It’s a 50/50 thing.”
Delaware said she does believe that the Parks & Recreation board members need professional training and interaction with programs in other communities that are successful.
The mayor said that if the county stopped participating in the program, the city might be able to make some tough decisions that would ultimately improve the parks. Delaware said that she believes Parks and Recreation is currently maintaining more parks than it can properly maintain with the current available resources. She said that some of the existing parks may need to be closed so that the department can focus on properly maintaining the parks that are a priority.
“Down the road we may look at adding to our parks and even adding some creative things like a skate park or something that older residents can enjoy,” she said.
Delaware said she doesn’t think the city should be expected to give more money without the county contributing its fair share.
“Speaking for myself, I’m not willing to put another dime in it unless the county contributes more,” she said. “This isn’t a game we’re playing. This is about the quality of life for our citizens and there is a clear need for improvement.”
