A memorandum of understanding between the City of Savannah and Friends of Forsyth Park Conservancy will wait two more weeks for a City Council vote as stakeholders continue to meet on the issue. The Savannah City Council took up the issue a second time at its meeting Thursday, and the measure is now scheduled to be voted on Sept. 12.
The MOU would create a non-binding framework between the city and Friends of Forsyth to support the implementation of a master plan for Forsyth Park, which is expected to be completed in 2022. The item was first placed on the agenda at a previous City Council meeting, but was postponed due to concerns from neighborhood associations and officials about certain elements of the MOU, The Current reports.
Since that postponement, representatives from the Friends of Forsyth and the Downtown, Victorian and Forsyth Park Neighborhood Associations have met to discuss the MOU, according to representatives who attended the meeting. City of Savannah officials have also met with residents since the council’s postponement on Aug. 8, and it’s likely that recent collaboration will result in improvements to the MOU.
“We await feedback from the Downtown Neighborhood Association and the Victorian Neighborhood Association and believe there will be mutually agreed changes to this memorandum of understanding,” City Manager Jay Melder said at Thursday’s council meeting.
Friends of Forsyth Park is a nonprofit organization formed to engage stakeholders and create a “shared vision” for the park’s future, according to the city’s existing memorandum of understanding. The group engaged in community engagement for 11 months and completed a master plan in January 2022 with the help of a consultant, the group’s website states.
Ryan Madson, a former VNA president who represented the association at the groups’ recent meeting, said he hopes an updated memorandum of understanding can include neighborhood representation on the conservancy’s board and clarify the master plan’s role in the city’s partnership with Friends of Forsyth.
The master plan can be viewed online at the City of Savannah. District 2 Councilman Detric Leggett, who represents the area where the park is located, has been involved in encouraging increased citizen engagement on the issue. Leggett said the collaboration has been helpful.
“That’s part of it, giving them a chance to voice their opinion,” Leggett said. “Then they give us a chance to regroup so we don’t make a decision we can’t go back from.”
Savannah city spokesman Josh Peacock said in an email that Tropical Storm Debby delayed “regularly scheduled internal meetings” on the issue, which contributed to the City Council’s decision to adjourn the matter. The adjournment also gives city staff more time to answer questions and explain the MOU to council members, Peacock said.
Evan Lasseter is a city and county reporter for the Savannah Morning News. Reach him at [email protected].
