Group hopes to polish 'jewel' of Overton Park

CPOP is a member of a new coalition of Overton Park supporters that is being organized by two prominent businessmen, George Cates and Gary Shorb, as reported in today's Commercial Appeal.

George Cates has been walking, biking and golfing at Overton Park for about 40 years -- long enough, as he puts it, "to see it deteriorate."

Now 73, Cates is taking initial steps to deal with what he views as the main threats to the 342-acre park in Midtown Memphis: inadequate maintenance and grass-mowing, litter, a steady encroachment into the old-growth forest and the lack of coordination among park users.

The retired chairman and CEO of Mid-America Apartment Communities has helped organize a group comprising representatives of park-user groups and tenants. Although it doesn't have a name yet, the group is made up of citizens who all "want to see the park restored to its former glory or greatness and become a jewel in the city's crown, as it once was," he said.

We look forward to working with a broader range of people to protect Overton Park's forest and open spaces, and to improve its built amenities.