The Palestine Herald, Palestine, Texas

Local News

Discussion

Add a comment on this story
September 28, 2012

Grand opening Saturday for Willie Myers Park

By PAUL STONE Palestine Herald-Press

PALESTINE — Neighborhood residents and others will be able to celebrate the new playground equipment at Willie Myers Park during a grand opening ceremony set for Saturday morning.

The ceremony is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. at the park located at the corner of South Dorrance and West Campbell streets.

The playground design was developed by Child’s Play Inc. and chosen by a vote of residents living near the park during an “ice cream social” held in early August, according to Roy Crouch, parks director for the City of Palestine.

Crouch said the city contacted four different commercial grade playground companies with their budget and asked each to come up with two designs.

“We told them all that ‘we’ve got a budget of $75,000’ and we need you to present two conceptual drawings,” Crouch said.

The eight concepts were then displayed at the Aug. 2 ice cream social at the park, with neighborhood residents ultimately selecting the winner by a popular vote, according to the parks director.

Coincidentally, the residents’ choice matched the top pick of city staffers, Crouch pointed out.

“It took about six or seven days to complete the process” of construction, he added.

By allowing neighborhood residents to make the decision, Crouch said city staffers believed, “We’d get good buy-in on it and they would take ownership of their playground equipment.”

As part of the relationship, the parks director said he is hopeful park users will report any suspicious activity around the park or persons marking graffiti.

“We thought we’d get the community more involved,” Crouch said. “Since they had the opportunity to select it, they would want to protect it.”

————

Paul Stone may be contacted via e-mail at pstone@palestineherald.com

Text Only
Local News
Magazines
Podcast
Community Calendar
Loading…
Events by eviesays.com
AP Video
Obama: NSA Secret Data Gathering 'Transparent' Man Who Disrupted Flight Ranted About CIA Feds: 7-Eleven Stores Exploited Immigrants Fla. Teen Catches Ride With Whale Shark G8 Leaders Huddle on Syria Raw: Obama, Putin Meet at G8 Iran's Rowhani Urges 'Path of Moderation' Daughter: Mandela Doing 'Very Well' Investigators Probe Origin of Colo. Wildfire Ex-NFL Star Chad Johnson Out of Jail 'Game of Thrones' Boosts N. Ireland Raw: Prince Philip Leaves Hospital After Surgery Zimmerman Jury Selection Turns to Media Exposure Raw: FBI Meets Plane After Poison Threat Family Tweets Say Kim Kardashian Gives Birth US, EU Leaders Announce Free Trade Talks
Hyperlocal Search
Premier Guide
Find a business

Walking Fingers
Maps, Menus, Store hours, Coupons, and more...
Premier Guide