WEB EXCLUSIVE: Hugh Ramsey Nature Park re-opens, renovations complete

HARLINGEN — The long-delayed re-opening of Hugh Ramsey Nature Park ended quietly and without ceremony late Monday afternoon.

As Parks and Recreation Director Javier Mendez looked on, workers hauled away the sawhorse-type barricades that had blocked the popular park’s entrance for more than two months.

The project initially was to finish around Jan. 1, and then was delayed again due to complications involving the parking lot and the 8-foot by 100-foot concrete bio-retention basin. The basin will absorb runoff from the lot, purifying it naturally before it enters the park’s ponds and eventually the Arroyo Colorado.

Renovation of the park was funded with a $158,000 grant from the Texas General Land Office’s Coastal Impact Assistance Program.

Entry to the park is free.