HARLINGEN — After about five years on the drawing board, city leaders Tuesday opened the area’s first destination park, planning to expand it into the region’s premier family outdoor entertainment venue.
During a ceremony, officials unveiled the $3.3 million first phase of the revamped Lon C. Hill Park, its looming archway opening into tree-lined pathways winding across a tall pavilion, gazebos and a lighted water fountain.
“Great cities have great parks,” Mayor Chris Boswell told a small crowd. “This is a real gem for us, a centerpiece for this city, a place for our children to come to play in an all-inclusive playground, maybe get a little wet in a fountain back here.”
“This is the centerpiece but there’s more to come as this park expands and really becomes a destination for people to relax, for people to come and visit and for our children to enjoy the beauty of the outdoors,” he said.
To help fund construction, U.S. Rep. Oscar Longoria, D-Mission, landed a $1 million Texas Parks and Wildlife Department grant.
“This pandemic has shown the importance of outdoor green activities for the wellbeing of our public and I am proud to see the city is committed and innovative in providing vital recreational services for its residents,” Isaac Ebrom, Longoria’s district coordinator, said as part of a statement.
Family destination
In 2016, the city’s comprehensive plan called for the park after meetings and surveys found residents were calling for park upgrades, officials said.
“We’re called to develop quality of life opportunities in the city of Harlingen but we are also conscious of the fact that the one-eighth-cent … is part of economic development so we also have the ability to include some aspect of economic development in our projects,” Jesse Robles, the improvement board’s chairman, said, referring to the Harlingen Community Improvement Board’s eighth-cent sales tax earmarked for so-called quality of life projects.
At City Hall, officials are counting on the park to draw families from across the region to help pump tourist dollars into the city’s shops and restaurants.
“A park like this is wonderful for our community. It’s a fulfillment of a request by the citizens to develop our parks,” Robles said. “We needed something a little more and this destination park basically attests to that.”
Robles billed the park as a premier family outdoor entertainment venue.
“We should always aspire to be a family destination, a family vacation destination, and I think we’re moving in that direction,” he said. “What you see here is Phase 1. There are five phases involved in this project so if you can see what this place looks like, can you imagine what the whole project is going to look like when it’s done?”
First phase
A tall, arched gateway opens into the destination park featuring a $279,025 entry court highlighting an entrance made up of a sprawling archway looming over stone columns.
Opening into a $554,545 center plaza, the park’s first phase showcases a large pavilion and a lighted water fountain with a 52-foot diameter.
The park’s first phase also features $587,957 worth of winding walkways leading to a pavilion, gazebo and restrooms.
Launching $4 million second phase
Now, officials are launching the park’s $4 million second phase.
Last month, city leaders agreed to dip into the Harlingen Community Improvement Board’s eighth-cent sales tax to launch the park’s $4 million second phase.
During the meeting, officials set aside a $2.5 million to build an amphitheater to stand as the park’s “anchor” along with a $727,950 lighted walking trail.
“When we have concerts in this venue, there will not be a bad seat in the house,” City Manager Dan Serna said, referring to the amphitheater to feature a timber canopy and seating for as many as 1,300. “No matter where you are, you’ll be comfortable. It’ll be nice and shaded and you’ll be able to listen to the music.”
During the meeting, officials also earmarked $727,950 to fund the mile-long, 10-foot-wide lighted walking trail to wrap around Casa de Amistad and the Harlingen Municipal Auditorium, winding to Harlingen Field.
To help fund the project, officials have applied to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department for a $500,000 grant.
Proposed adaptive baseball field
Next week, officials plan to consider funding a $769,800 adaptive baseball field aimed at special needs children at the site of a 225-foot baseball park at the corner of Washington Avenue and J Street.
As part of the project, officials plan to install synthetic turf to turn the field into a sporting venue aimed at children with special needs.
The proposed sports park, which could become a venue for the Miracle League, sponsoring teams made up of children with special needs, could also stage Little League games while offering the nearby Boys and Girls Club a playing field, officials said
“When you create these amenities, you keep everyone in mind,” Serna said after the meeting. “We set a goal to make our amenities accessible to everyone. We’re very proud of the parks.”
The park’s wide sidewalks will tie into the new Harlingen Convention Center, Serna said.
“All these amentias are walking-distance away from our convention center,” he said. “Folks who come in to our area, to our convention center, to our hotel, will now have somewhere to take their families in the evening, enjoy the water feature, enjoy the park, enjoy a concert. There are so many things that can happen at this park.”
