The two downtown Charlottesville parks whose statues of Confederate generals stoked local bloodshed and international controversy before they were removed could soon get another makeover.
What were once Lee and Jackson parks have already relinquished their larger-than-life equestrian bronzes, but now the city is inviting the public to participate in the planning for the parks’ future decoration.
"We kind of have a blank canvas," said Jalane Schmidt, a member of the city’s Historic Resources Committee.
Speaking at the group’s meeting Friday, Schmidt reminded the group of the upshot of City Council votes and litigation: the removal of the two statues three years ago.
"The statues no longer expressed this community’s values, and we got rid of them," said Schmidt.
She also remarked on a third downtown statue removal: the one formally named "At Ready" but widely known as "Johnny Reb" in front of the Albemarle County Courthouse. Its removal cleared views of a sprawling elm in Court Square visible along Fifth Street Northeast from the direction of the Downtown Mall.
"You can now see that beautiful tree," said Schmidt.
That remark spurred a fellow member of the committee, Genevieve Keller, to suggest a "no build" option that emphasizes benches and greenery might be optimal for the two parks, which are now known as Market Street Park and Court Square Park.
Meanwhile, a private group, Swords into Plowshares, is nearing the end of a process to name an artist who might refashion the bronze from the statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee. No plan for a location for the reimagined artwork has been announced, and there is no guarantee that the city will permit the new art to replace the old at Market Street Park, né Lee Park.
Another member of the committee noted Charlottesville formerly dedicated 1% of public building construction budgets to public art.
The city announced in November that it has hired an Indianapolis-based group called PROS Consulting to develop the city’s first comprehensive master plan for the Parks & Recreation Department. Mike Svetz, a former director of that department, is the project manager.
The upcoming community engagement sessions are slated for Monday’s City Council meeting, which begins at 6:30 p.m. Additional sessions are slated for 6 p.m. Thursday at Tonsler Park and again at 6 p.m. July 23 at Washington Park.
A split City Council vote in February of 2017 led to the removal of the Lee statue, which prompted hundreds of White nationalists to descend on the city from across the country on Aug. 12, 2017. Their planned Unite the Right rally quickly devolved into violence as they clashed with counterprotesters in the streets. The rally was called off and an unlawful assembly was declared, but the violence did not end. A self-avowed neo-Nazi drove his car through a crowd of counterprotesters, killing one and injuring multiple others. The driver, James Fields Jr. of Ohio, was convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison for the killing of Charlottesville native Heather Heyer.
Consultants are expected to present an early draft of the plan for two downtown parks in August.
Source: www.dailyprogress.com
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