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84 °F Forecast | Road Cams Wednesday, August 4, 2004 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Prime Times Wellness Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Rogue Valley's Finest EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People MARKETPLACE Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Classifieds Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend July 9, 2004 Land swap proposal jumps into park deal Cascade Christian’s proposed trade comes out at public meeting By JONEL ALECCIA Mail Tribune The progress of Medford’s proposed Liberty Park took a surprising detour Thursday as Cascade Christian High School emerged as a new player in the process of picking a site. Officials from the church-owned school in Medford have proposed a three-way land swap involving the school, the city of Medford and the Salvation Army. Details of the unexpected announcement remained sketchy, but the ultimate goal appeared to be to allow Cascade Christian to try once again to gain access to city-owned land designated for a park off Table Rock Road, while also allowing construction of Liberty Park on land now owned by the Salvation Army. "We’ve been praying about this for a long time," said Melissa Stiles, a Cascade Christian representative. Representatives from all three entities were set to meet today for an initial discussion. Advertisement The move comes a little more than a year after potential church-state conflicts forced Medford city officials to reject Cascade Christian’s bid to lease a 7.5-acre parcel designated as park land. The land is adjacent to a proposed site for a new school on Chevy Way. Land owned by the Salvation Army on Niantic and Edwards streets has long been the favored site for Liberty Park. However, Salvation Army officials have been reluctant to give up land that now houses a chapel. Other local sites have been considered for the park, but none has been seriously proposed. Salvation Army Maj. Marv Samuelson said he didn’t know any details of the plan. "I can’t really tell you how it would work," he said. "I haven’t seen the proposal." Members of the Liberty Park "solutions team" tried to keep Cascade Christian’s involvement quiet, but word slipped out during the public meeting. Medford City Council member Claudette Moore said she had discussed potential church-state conflicts with City Manager Mike Dyal, who said he believed the concerns could be adequately addressed this time. "A potential three-way land swap is something we all need to look at," said Larry Frank of the Salvation Army advisory board. Reach reporter JoNel Aleccia at 776-4465, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2004 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S RESOURCES Oregon Road Conditions & Cams SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Food for Thought Wellness Connection Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities Prime Times