Criticism Of ESP Plans For Harris Shoals Park Surfaces At Council

The Watkinsville Mayor and Council got push back–including from one member of its Advisory Board–last week on its still tentative plans to allow Extra Special People to construct a Miracle League Field and splash pad on four acres at Harris Shoals Park.

Vicki Soutar, chair of Oconeewaters and a member of the Harris Shoals Park Advisory Board Executive Committee, told the Mayor and Council that the proposed project would have significant negative impact on the park’s environment.

Two other speakers who followed her echoed those sentiments.

Sarah Bell, another member of the Harris Shoals Park Advisory Board Executive Committee, had expressed strong opposition to the proposal at the Advisory Board’s meeting the week earlier.

At that Advisory Board Meeting, Jon Kirkpatrick said he was relaying a message from City Administrator Sharyn Dickerson that ESP had removed the splash pad–one of the major concerns to Soutar and others–from the plans for the park.

Laura Whitaker, executive director of ESP, would not confirm that the splash pad has been removed from the proposal, saying ESP was in the design and engineering phase and would make plans public at a later date.

For details of the concerns expressed about the ESP plans, please go to Oconee County Observations. A video of the Council meeting and a video from the recent Advisory Board meeting are included.