The Demopolis City Council has agreed to give additional time to the city’s park and recreation board to formulate a plan for the department’s future.

The mayor and council had discussed at a previous meeting the possibility of disbanding the park and recreation board. At that time, the council agreed to table the issue to get more information.

Bill Meador, who serves as the council’s liaison to park and rec, said during Thursday’s meeting that, after speaking with members of that board, he would like to give them time to provide a plan to the council before eliminating the board.

“They are working through some issues and there are concerns,” Meador said. “But, we have some new members and it’s still early for them. I would like to give them 60 days to work through things and come back to (the council) with their best plan to move the department forward.”

Major Walker, one of the newer members to the Park and Rec Board, spoke to the council. “We want to do what the city expects. Let’s sit down with council (to discuss expectations).”

Park and Rec Director Walker Reynolds also stated the board would appreciate more information and guidance from the mayor and council.

“We have some people whose hearts have been in this for a long time. In my 19 years, I’ve never told a mayor ‘no’ and the board has never been approached about things they should be working toward,” Reynolds said.

The council unanimously approved giving the park and rec board 60 days to present a plan.

Other items discussed included:

• converting the intersection of Jackson and Main from a traffic light to a four-way stop. The light at the intersection has broken and has been operating as a four-way stop in recent weeks.

• Building Superintendent Julius Rembert reported that three structures have been demolished and two others are in that process as part of the city’s ongoing dilapidated structures project.  He added that 10 others are currently in the early stages of that process and that three liens have been sent to property owners.

(This article originally appeared in the Saturday, July 8, print edition of the Demopolis Times.)