Oxford Approves Design Services for Avent Park

The Board of Aldermen approved an agreement with Ecological Design Group to plan the next phase of improvements at the city park.

Updated on Nov. 7, 2026 in National Parks

Bold flat-color vector editorial illustration of a wooden gazebo and covered pavilion beneath oak trees on a green lawn, evoking a city park under planning review. — The Oxford Board of Aldermen approved a $90,000 design-services agreement with Ecological Design Group to plan the next phase of Avent Park improvements. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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The Oxford Board of Aldermen on Tuesday approved an agreement with Ecological Design Group to provide professional design services for the next phase of Avent Park improvements. The agreement sets an initial design fee not to exceed $90,000.

Why it matters

The next phase shifts focus from the newly completed children's playground to the park as a whole, particularly its passive recreational areas. Residents who use Avent Park can expect the design work to shape how its shared spaces are arranged and maintained.

The agreement carries an initial design fee ceiling of $90,000 for the park's next phase. A finalized total project budget, including anticipated cost, is still being developed and will be presented to the Board of Aldermen.

The players

Oxford Board of Aldermen

The elected governing body of the city of Oxford, which approves contracts and municipal spending for projects such as park improvements.

Ecological Design Group

A design firm engaged under the agreement to provide professional planning and design services for the next phase of Avent Park improvements.

The details

The design work will evaluate the park's pavilion, which includes restrooms, and its gazebo. The results will determine whether the two covered structures should be repaired, replaced or relocated, and the park's master plan will carry through the design and implementation stages. The city has also ordered a boundary and topographic survey of the park.

July: A new playground for children ages 5 to 12 was completed at Avent Park.
Tuesday, the week of November 7, 2026: The Board of Aldermen approved the design services agreement.

Big Picture

The agreement carries forward Avent Park's master plan into design and implementation, following the completed playground as the first step. It moves the park's passive recreational areas to the front of the next phase of work.

Visitors to Avent Park may see changes to the pavilion, restrooms, and gazebo depending on whether the structures are repaired, replaced or relocated. Park users should watch for updated project budgets as the design work moves forward.

The takeaway

Upgrades to shared public spaces tend to unfold in stages, with planning and design preceding construction. Residents interested in Avent Park's future can follow the Board of Aldermen's budget reviews as the project takes shape.