City parks see major improvements over past year
Major improvements to city parks on both sides of the state line have taken place over the past year, providing residents free recreation for years to come.
Topping the list was a project to dredge the pond at Spring Lake Park, the centerpiece of Texarkana, Texas’ parks system.
Beginning in July 2017, contractors spent more than six months going step by step through the process of restoring the pond to a healthy depth: draining it, dredging it from about 3 feet to 10 feet deep, reinforcing its banks with stone, building a flagstone border around its edge and letting the spring that gives the park its name refill the pond.
Before the work could begin, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department had to catch and count as many fish in the pond as possible, which they relocated to the Sulphur River.
TPW began restocking the pond in March by re-introducing hundreds of sunfish, aka bream, to the pond. It was the first of three steps in a process to bring the pond back to life, said Tim Bister, a TPW fisheries biologist. The department will re-introduce largemouth bass into the pond this month and channel catfish sometime in the fall. After that, it still may take a few years for the pond to fully recover.
Cost of the dredging project was about $875,000, paid for by bonds as part of the city’s Capital Improvement Plan. The CIP also paid for new playground equipment in all Texas-side parks at a cost of more than $434,500, as well as new lights for ball fields at Spring Lake and Wallace parks for $973,750.
On the Arkansas side, 2017 began with new playground equipment at Bobby Ferguson Park.
Six slides, four sets of climbing bars, five platforms, a spinning carousel and new swing sets at the park were funded by the Arkansas-side Advertising and Promotion Commission at a cost of about $66,000.
The playground is only one part of an upgrade of the park. The city has also built a new, 32-space parking lot at the park’s Lakeside Pavilion.
To fund the lot’s construction, the city recently received a state Outdoor Recreation Grants Program award of $55,000, matching $55,000 in General Improvement Funds administered by Southwest Arkansas Planning and Development District.
This month, the Arkansas side announced funding for improvements at Hobo Jungle Park.
The Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism awarded a $150,000 grant to Texarkana, Ark., for the project. The grant matches $150,000 awarded to the city Parks and Recreation Department by the A&P Commission.
The city will demolish the concession and restroom structure at the park and replace it with a new building housing a concession stand, restrooms, a storage room, a prep room and an umpire room.
Ball fields at the park have seen increased use in recent years as private promoters have partnered with the city to bring youth baseball and softball tournaments and player showcases to Texarkana.