Dr. Fisher speaks out on plans, controversy
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ISSUE: 11/29/07 > Features > Dr. Fisher speaks out on plans, controversy
Belmont University president Bob Fisher expressed his excitement and relief that the Rose Park sports complex project can begin in the summer of 2008.
He said the construction of the sports complex, expected to cost almost $7 million, will begin once the surrounding schools adjourn for the summer. He is optimistic about the future the park holds, for both Belmont and the Edgehill community that it has served as one of the city’s Metro Parks.
| Rose Park timeline |
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• January 2006: Belmont proposes to rehab Edgehill’s Rose Park, a Metro Parks and Recreation Board property, to use as an athletics complex. • February 2006: A Metro Parks board subcommittee deferred a vote on Belmont’s proposal, opting instead to schedule a public hearing on the issue. • February 2007: After a year of meetings and frequent community opposition from the Organized Neighbors of Edgehill – ONE – and others, Metro’s Parks Board approved Belmont’s plan to upgrade the park and use it jointly with the community although ownership will remain with Metro. • September 2007: The Metro Council gave final approval for Belmont’s plan to invest nearly $7 million in a shared use agreement for Rose Park. The renewed facility will include baseball, softball, soccer and track fields to meet NCAA Division I standards. |
“The fields are underutilized and are in need of improvement,” he said, so according to his plans, the partnership would benefit both parties. Also, Fisher wants the new facility “to be a shared place of recreation and interaction for everyone.” He hopes Belmont baseball can “utilize the fields by January of 2009, while still allowing the residents to use the field for a majority of the year.”
The plan was controversial from the beginning, with many residents in the Edgehill community opposing Belmont’s acquisition of Rose Park, but as of September, the Metro Council voted unanimously to finalize the partnership.
Jason Rogers, vice president for administration and university counsel, reiterated Fisher’s statements over the situation. Rogers spoke adamantly about the lease saying it “demonstrates the depth of Belmont, Edgehill, and Nashville.”
He also emphasized the “limit of governmental funds” for such a project, and stressed for the collaborative effort between public and private organizations to benefit both parties. In a June article for which a Tennessean reporter interviewed him, Rogers advocated support of the lease, saying it “deserves the support of the citizens of Nashville and their elected representatives on the Metropolitan Council who value cooperation between public and private sectors.”
However, amid the optimism from Belmont’s administration, part of the Edgehill community remains opposed to the project. The Organized Neighbors of Edgehill – ONE – protested the idea and partnership from the beginning for a variety of reasons. Questions regarding Belmont’s motives spur a fear of community grabbing or gentrification from some of the residents.
When asked about this topic, Fisher says he does not feel the move is community grabbing at all. Instead, he sees the project as “beneficial in aiding the Edgehill community and bringing a section of Nashville together.
“ONE only represents a portion of the community,” he said, and he feels the project is serving the “broader population.”
Fisher also spoke about a meeting with a group of residents on Oct. 4, where they supported and agreed with the decisions made. Fisher believes the issue got caught up in “neighborhood politics,” and is “very proud of the way Belmont represented itself during a time of great controversy.”
Similarly, Rogers said ONE’s fears of urban renewal are old fears; however, he said, “We know ONE has filed an appeal of the final agreement.”
In the larger context, he said the area of Belmont-Edgehill has changed a great deal over the last 20 years, and some people are simply uncomfortable with change, no matter how much our intentions are restated.
“A community takeover is impossible between a private institution and a public organization,” he said, and further explained, “This cannot happen because Metro Parks owns the park, not Belmont. Everything we do must first go through Metro Parks.”
Rogers pointed to the Property Improvement and Lease Agreement to reinforce his position towards the project. The document stipulates there is to be no chain link fence around the park and construction will minimize school disruption; that Metro is the sole authority for scheduling dates and events and school and community events have priority scheduling over Belmont (for Metro approval, Belmont must schedule its events six months or more in advance); security and traffic regulation will be Belmont’s responsibility during Belmont events, and Metro’s responsibility during community events; lights and sound must be off by 10:30 p.m.; and there is currently no intent on Belmont’s part to name any of the fields
The lease concludes with two modes of community outreach. The first presents annual monitoring, which will provide updates, address problems and inform the community. The second is eight annual full tuition scholarships and two half-tuition scholarships provided by Belmont for members of the Edgehill community.
Since the project was unanimously approved, it will become reality in the near future.
Improvements of Rose Park fields will allow for baseball, softball, soccer, and football events. In addition, more pedestrian walkways will run throughout the facility, specifically catering to persons with disabilities.
Regardless of the past controversy, both Fisher and Rogers feel Belmont’s plans are the right plans for the Edgehill community and Nashville as a whole.
