A new park on The Square has just been built. With it’s convenient location on the historic square it is expected to be very popular. In the park there is seating, dining tables, and water features.
Before the park, there was an old RSVP building that had begun to decay. Over the years a few minor repairs had been made but it became obvious that the building was not safe to use anymore. While trying to figure out what to do with this space, Mayor Robyn Tannehill had the idea to turn the area into a public area for everyone to enjoy. She worked hand-in-hand with project manager, Mark Levy, on this goal.
“The old RSVP building was deteriorating,” Levy said. “Most of the building was subsurfaced and it had constant leaking issues. Over the years, and after several small repairs, it became evident that the building could not be used as intended and needed to be demolished. The Mayor had the idea to transform that site into a public greenspace.”
Mark Levy’s office is right above the park, he has seen people stop to drink a coffee, meet a friend, or for students to hang out after school. Which is exactly why the park was created. There is also talk of music coming to play in the park. The park creates a safe comfortable space to escape the “hustle and bustle” of the square.
“The idea of designing a pocket park downtown was generated by the desire to create a space for the public to enjoy our beautiful downtown area for free,” Tannehill said. “We wanted to provide a place for people to enjoy a cup of coffee or their lunch and just people watch or bring their laptops and work from outdoors. We love watching school students gather in the park in the afternoons to eat their frozen yogurt and visit with friends. We are looking forward to having music in the park in the coming weeks.”
There is a lot more to the park than what people see. There is an underground detention on site to prevent flooding in the park. The park has also been made more accessible for people with disabilities.
“What most people don’t see is the underground stormwater detention on-site,” Levy said. “All water that falls or runs through the site is collected and released slowly to prevent flooding. There is a lot more than what meets the eye going on in the park.”
A large concern for people was what would be done with the time capsule that was placed in this area beside City Hall in 1978. This was something that was taken into consideration when planning to create the park. The time capsule was relocated to fit in the design of the park and will still be opened in 2076.
The park includes many incredible features that help to create an aesthetically pleasing space for many people to enjoy. Things like water features, a sculpture (built by Tom Corbin), benches, and many other landscape elements that were planned and created by many amazing people.
“There are several new programmatic features. To name a few: seating along the walls, dining tables, water feature, public art, sculpture, plantings, and lighting.”
Business owners all around the square have appreciated having the park so close by. They appreciate how the park looks and the space that it gives them for breaks. Local business owner, Neil Smith, has particularly enjoyed the pocket park.
“Not only have I enjoyed having lunch at the park, I had friends from out of town visiting and it was so nice to be able to walk from the parking lot and have such a beautiful entrance to our square,” Smith said.
This new park has created a space unlike anything else on The Square for Oxford residents and visitors to enjoy.
