Photo: Members William Johnson and Myla Pettiford stand in the location of the old basketball courts in Granville Street Park in Oxford, N.C.. The city took out the nets and put in a tennis court, then took out the nets for the tennis court. The space has been abandoned and become a cracked concrete slab. But our members have talked with community members and there’s a new vision for what used to be a thriving public space. It can become a hub for kids and families again!
The Granville Street Blacktop Project
Granville Street Park is an integral part of the Oxford community. It formerly served as a meeting place for the downtown and Granville Street areas, an outlet for local youth to play basketball, and for local families to have a place for outdoor fellowship. But it has fallen into neglect over the years.
Our vision is to rebuild Granville Street Park into a state-of-the-art community hub.
We want to see a Granville Street Park become a place to commune, learn, build relationships, and fulfill its potential as a space where both young people and families can exercise, compete, and foster a healthy environment that ensures success!
We want to revamp Granville Street Park with great new amenities:
- Basketball goals
- New blacktop
- Update the fences surrounding the courts
- Better lighting and security cameras
- Water fountains
- Community gardens
- Picnic tables
- Budget for Oxford Parks & Rec to hire a new employee to help maintain our great facilities
- Four-way stop signs to slow traffic and make the surrounding streets safer
The Funding
There is still $2.8 million unspent from the Oxford American Rescue Plan (ARPA) funding. In addition, the Oxford City budget has a multi-year surplus of roughly $7.5 million.
We know from our community surveys that making a good use of this money to build better parks, recreation, community and youth activities is a priority for people in Oxford.
Our Deadline: Tuesday, June 13, at 7pm!
Tuesday, June 13, at 7pm.
This is when the Oxford City Commissioners vote on the 2023-2024 city budget.
If we win our campaign to revamp Oxford Street Park, the funding must be approved at this meeting.
Won’t you join us in?
You can email Down Home’s Granville organizer Reeves, or you can also attend one of our Granville meetings.
Let’s bring the park back!
