SAN BENITO — The long-awaited park for this city’s south side is moving forward quickly and officials say they hope to break ground in late spring.
The South Side Park Project will locate the city’s eighth park behind the fire station on Sam Houston Blvd., FM 2520, on a 12.5-acre plot of land. It will be the first park south of the interstate.
“We’re planning on having a walking trail, two full-size soccer fields, restrooms, concession stands, some amenities like benches, bleachers, picnic tables and barbecue pits and a parking lot,” said the city’s Parks and Recreation Department director, Al Garza III.
The new park has been in the city’s plans for years, and thanks to a grant from the Valley Baptist Legacy Foundation of $494,755, the project is now on the front foot. Garza said the city will fund the remainder of what will be a $519,324 total spend.
The project has been scaled back from earlier this year when the city said it was going to allocate $748,097 to the park but that plan was reduced due to funding limitations.
Garza said the city has applied for a Texas Parks and Wildlife Department matching grant which would total $600,000 with the city coming up with around half of that, or $314,000, which would fund Phase II of the project.
“We’re hoping we do get that grant and we’re going to add some walking trail lighting, some field lighting, possibly a splash pad and some exercise equipment,” Garza said.
The plot of city-owned acreage behind the fire station is a good-looking property, cleared and level. Garza said the city plans to let bids in March, and begin moving dirt by May or early June, in hopes of wrapping up the project by the end of the year.
The new park’s playground equipment won’t be the all-inclusive variety which Harlingen has placed in three of its parks to allow families with special needs children to come and play. The new park will be compliant with Americans with Disabilities Act regulations, however, he said.
“All our parks are ADA-compliant,” Garza said.
The South Side Park Project has been on the planning table for years, and Garza admits he has heard from city residents complaining about delays. He said people often are unaware how much being dependent on outside grants can slow the pace of municipal projects.
“People get frustrated because they want to see something right away, and I understand that,” Garza said. “We’ve been utilizing grant money to do minor improvements to our other parks.
“For example, I added solar lighting to our walking trails using CDBG (community development block grant) funding,” he said. “I added exercise equipment and shade canopies using grant money from the University of Texas Health and Science Center.”
San Benito isn’t an exception when it comes to residents demanding officials do more than repair streets and provide other public works necessities.
“I know our City Commission had been very adamant about improving the quality of life for our citizens, and trying to provide different services for them,” Garza said. “This is going to be extremely exciting for everyone. It’s been on the books for quite some time, and all I can say is I’m excited.
“Sometimes I’m just at a loss for words because it’s a major project for us,” he concluded.
