HARLINGEN — And then there were six.
City officials on Tuesday announced the completion of Harlingen’s sixth all-inclusive park, designed to allow children of all abilities and ages a place to play in safety.
Hunter Park, located at Third Street and McGregor, has a new blue, yellow and green playground set with specialized ramps for wheelchairs and a soft, green synthetic turf fall area.
The small city park is surrounded by benches for the adults and a covered pavilion is nearby, although without picnic tables for now.
A swing set, likewise, is in place, but the swings themselves are yet to be deployed.
“Hearing a mother say that she would avoid driving past a playground because it made her son sad that he couldn’t join in the fun is pretty convincing evidence that we needed to make some changes,” Mayor Chris Boswell said.
“Every resident and taxpayer in Harlingen should be proud of our now sixth all-inclusive playground because of the simple joy now being offered to these children by inclusive play,” the mayor added.
“It’s a pretty nice Christmas gift in a year when we need some extra Christmas.”
Hunter Park, like all parks in the city, remains closed due to COVID-19 requirements imposed by state and county emergency orders that prohibit gatherings of 10 or more people.
Walking trails are open as long as social distancing is practiced but groups are limited to just 10 people.
City soccer, baseball and softball fields also remain closed to the public.
