BATON ROUGE — Residents are discussing BREC's proposal to close seven community parks in North Baton Rouge.

Some residents say they feel their community is being targeted by the proposed closures, but BREC Commission Chair Michael Polito says that is not the case.

Earlier this week, a BREC Committee moved forward with recommending that Alexander Park, Belfair Park and Blueberry Street Park be closed and sold, and four other parks were deferred.

Chair of the BREC Commission Michael Polito says there has been misinformation circulating around the reason for the proposed closures.

"It's data-driven, it's not political, it's not targeted. It's responsibility, and being good stewards with the taxpayers' dollars," Polito said.

He says there are more than 50 properties parish-wide that are under consideration to be labeled obsolete. He says this group of parks just so happens to end up in the same area of Baton Rouge.

"The first park that this commission voted on to sell was in St. George, and so I'm sure the next wave of parks or property that come to us will be all across the parish," he said.

But, state representative C. Denise Marcelle says she's been getting a lot of questions and concerns about the way BREC is moving.

"Whether they're privatizing a whole lot of things without the community's input, and so we're on the frontlines of getting these questions, and I think we need to be at the table when the decisions are being made," Marcelle said.

Marcelle authors a bill that would add two seats to the commission. The senator and representative whose district includes North Baton Rouge would fill those roles.

"How do you close parks and you don't have town hall meetings, and you don't communicate with the churches, you don't communicate with the constituents of those areas, and would you just arbitrarily close other parks throughout our city without talking to those residents and if the answer is no, then the answer should be no for us as well," she said.

Polito says he feels the parish is well represented on the commission.

"Maybe it's time for us to get beyond that, and let's look at everybody representing everybody and trying to do good things," he said.

Polito says the proposed park closures will be discussed during Thursday's BREC commission meeting.