City Council asks Parks and Rec to gather more community feedback on Douglass Park basketball court renovations after pushback over name

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The Columbia City Council wants the Parks and Recreation Department to come up with a plan for reaching the community on the Douglass Park Improvement Project.

The council on Monday unanimously decided to continue with the basketball court renovation project, but wants Parks and Rec staff to deliver a report on a plan for additional community engagement. The final portion of the project will be painting markings on the court, according to city spokeswoman Sydney Olsen. The city hopes to gather enough feedback to prevent delaying the project.

The city wants to name one of the courts for former University of Missouri women's basketball assistant coach Willie Cox.

Some community members said last week that they wanted to see courts named after others involved in basketball programs at the park.

Improvements include installing a park shelter, new rims, LED lighting and sports surfacing. The project will cost more than $900,000, with $100,000 coming from donations. It is expected to be completed by June.

Parks and Rec Director Gabe Huffington told ABC 17 News that additional public input likely won't impact the timeline of the project.

"“This won't have much of an impact on our project schedule as long as we can work through the public input process in the next two months.," he wrote in an email. "We will proceed with installation of the scoreboards, goals, shelter and new concrete as planned. Court markings is the last step in the process.”