[In 2008] Oriole Park had a well used, up-to-date playground designed for local use and currently served a number of disability groups and children of all abilities in an inclusive spirit.....A private group [called "a bunch of guys"] (with a promise of $1million but having delivered only $150,000) was given permission by the City to direct public funds upwards of $1.5 million (via a matching funding formula) to a park location of their choice....Members of the Oriole Park community discovered the plans for the Neshama project in June of 2008. When local residents voiced concern over how Oriole Park had been selected, the City hastily initiated a technical comparison of several alternative parks. The staff memo stated that when the short list of alternative parks was presented to the private group they insisted the Neshama project had to be in Oriole Park. The City insisted that the selection process of Oriole Park not be discussed during the 5 public meetings.

....Directing the extra funding from the Neshama project into Oriole Park was not motivated by an established need within the Oriole Park community. Had a family or a disability group expressed the need to make changes to the playground, the community would likely have fund raised within, to provide more accessible play opportunities, as had been done before.

....The 5 community meetings run by the consultants and the City were designed for small group discussion and provided a chance for the design team to hear opinions of the individuals who attended. As there was no opportunity for an open debate to allow community members to hear each others opinions and the community had no eventual vote in any of the design elements, there would have been no way for the consultants to determine what the community consensus is with respect to any of the project details. The City failed to present a final design and final budget for the proposed Neshama Playground, for broad community approval.