GP School District addressing homeless population in parks leased to city

GRANTS PASS, Ore. – The Grant Pass School District (GPSD) is working with the city to clean up parks near its schools.

The school district owns two parks that it has leased to the city for decades: Gilbert Creek Park and George Eckstein Park.

GPSD is concerned about an increased transient presence in the parks which are both adjacent to Grants Pass schools.

Gilbert Creek Park is next to North Middle School and George Eckstein Park is next to Riverside Elementary.

GPSD said it is working with the city to try to find solutions to the problem which includes overnight camping.

“We do believe that we need to have those vehicles out of our parks, that the parks should be closed to all overnight camping regardless of if it’s in the parking lot or in the park itself,” GPSD Superintendent Tim Sweeney told the board. “That’s our ultimate goal and that is our bottom line.”

GPSD is holding an executive session at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, September 26th.

Board members will talk with the school district’s lawyer about how they can potentially move forward.