City Commission OKs effort to activate Five Points Park

If you want a place to sit down in Selby Five Points Park, you’ll be in luck soon — although there’s still no set plan for what exactly the new seating will look like.

On Monday, the City Commission unanimously authorized administration and staff to explore the reintroduction of seating at the park, nearly five years after benches were removed from Five Points. The move came after residents expressed an interest in returning the benches to the park.

The board didn’t stop there, however. The commission also allowed the city manager to work with staff to, at their discretion, attempt to encourage activity in the park.

“Putting the benches back is part of the enhancement of the park and what we’re going to be doing over the next few months,” Vice Mayor Suzanne Atwell said. “I see it as a pretty fluid exercise.”

According to City Manager Tom Barwin, the push for activation could include benches, chairs and tables. It could also include vendors operating in the park — Barwin said Starbucks has expressed an interest in an operation at Five Points, though that conversation is still exploratory.

"I see it as a pretty fluid exercise." — Suzanne Atwell

Barwin said he’s focused on getting more input from residents and businesses in the area before taking any first steps. All changes will be temporary to begin with, but soon enough, visitors downtown can expect to see a different Five Points Park.

“Once we have some of that input in hand, I think we’ll begin trying to experiment with Five Points Park on some sort of improvement and activation plans,” Barwin said.