(Marion) — The City of Marion is inviting residents to come out and celebrate the renovation of its city park.
The ribbon cutting marks the completion of the first phase of what city officials hope will become a three-phase transformation of the park, adding new recreational opportunities for children, teens, adults and families.
Mayor Daniel Loyola says Marion has always had a city park, but until now, it offered little more than a basketball court, a couple of old swing sets and picnic tables.
“So we’ve always had a city park. It just was — there was not a lot there,” said Loyola. “So we’re upgrading the park.”
The first phase includes new pickleball courts, a renovated basketball court and a small walking trail. Loyola says the project grew from an earlier grant awarded through the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department during the administration of former Mayor Victor Contreras.
The city received about $100,000 through that grant, and Loyola says the current council decided to expand the original plans rather than simply reseal the existing basketball court.
“There’s three or four of us that are really big on parks,” said Loyola. “So then you say, ‘Hey, let’s just go big.’ The kind of new thing right now is pickleball court, you know, pickleball. Go ahead and build a pickleball court and let’s redo the actual basketball court.”
Loyola says the work being unveiled today is only the beginning.
He says the city has also already submitted a grant request to Texas Parks and Wildlife for the second phase, which would add a large playscape with shade coverings, additional swings and rubber safety matting. The plans also call for extending the walking trail.
Phase three would potentially include additional park improvements, including a pavilion where residents could gather and enjoy some shade.
Loyola estimates the entire three-phase project could ultimately represent an investment of roughly $500,000 in the city park.
“It’s going to be a work in progress for the next couple of years on it, just building off of it,” said Loyola. “So it’ll be exciting.”
Loyola says he has been pushing to get the park improvements moving because his term as mayor ends in May, and he wants to make sure the project is well underway before the next administration takes over.
“I wanted to get the ball rolling on this so that the next mayor comes in, they can just kind of run with it, pick it up and go,” said Loyola. “I think you’re going to have three of the five same council members, so they all know the projects as well. So we’re trying to just get something rolled in, get something done so that by the time I leave, they could just pick it up and go and run with it.”
The mayor says Marion families deserve a great park and hopes that the entire community comes out to welcome this next chapter for the area community.
“There’s a few of us that are real big on parks,” said Loyola. “We kind of wanted to bring that up, was just like, ‘Hey, listen, redo some of these parks. Get them up and running again and add some new stuff and get them going so kids can be out there and enjoying the parks that we have.’”
The ribbon cutting of the newly renovated Marion City Park will be held today at 4 p.m. The park is located on North Center Street in Marion.