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Friday, July 30, 2010 |
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Group seeks funding for park renewal
Published June 18, 2009
SEGUIN — Tucked away among houses on Jefferson Avenue, sits a nearly-empty block.
Right now, there’s a few benches in the shade of pecan trees, a stretch of yellowing grass, a flagpole with peeling paint and — in the far corner of space — a monument to the veterans of Guadalupe County.
While the passersby may not see much of interest when they pass the city’s Veterans Park, a committee of volunteers has a different vision.
“We want to bring back the rosebushes that were here, maybe put up a privacy fence,” said Marlin Howze, commander of the Disabled American Veterans Post 61, as he looks over the cement monument. “We want this to be a nice place for people to come.”
On May 4, members from local veterans groups, the Guadalupe County Master Gardeners, LULAC, and civic leaders came together to form a steering committee dedicated to the redevelopment of Veterans Park. The idea came to be shortly after Veterans Day 2008, when the American GI Forum, American Legion, DAV and Veterans of Foreign Wars held a joint ceremony at the park.
“When we held the joint ceremony, we noticed that the park was kinda run down and it was really not in the public eye,” Howze said.
On Tuesday, Howze and Reno Reiley, commander of Legion Post 245, got the go-ahead first from the Parks and Recreation Advisory board and then from council members to proceed with a multi-phase plan of renewal — all funded through private donations.
“Now that we’ve got it approved, it is time to start looking for donors,” Reiley said.
Phase I, which the group hopes to complete by Sept. 30th’s Veterans Day ceremony, will include a 30-foot flagpole for the American flag and two 25-foot flagpoles for the Texas and POW flags, both to be provided by LULAC. Maldonado’s Nursery has also donated a sprinkler system, which has already been installed, and the DAV will clean the memorial with a powerwasher.
For the completion of Phase I, the group is seeking help to resurrect the roses that once surrounded the monument, create a walkway from the flagpoles to the monument, create a aggregate circular court as a base around the flag poles, add a power outlet near the base of the flagpoles and collect a history of the park for a display.
Phase II, which includes a privacy fence along one side of the park, new signs and possibly a fountain, is expected to be complete by the following year, Sept. 30, 2010. The final section of the project, to be finished by Veterans’ Day in 2011, would include a Veteran’s Wall for local deceased veterans and possibly a playground.
Howze said the purpose is to create a space, not just for former servicemen, but also for the community as a whole.
“We want this to be a place the city will be proud of — a greenspace, not a place for growing weeds,” he said. “We want the school children to stop by and, maybe while they’re playing around the monument, they’ll look down and wonder, ‘What’s a World War I or World War II veteran?’ And that will lead them to want to learn more. It’s really a win-win all around.”
Tim Patek, director of parks and recreation, said the project is also a winning proposition for the city, which will get a revamped park at no cost to taxpayers.
“If groups have the time and the funds to help fix up a park, I think it’s great,” he said. “It will really be there for them and for other people to utilize for different special occasions and events.”
Patek said that city workers will mark underground power or sewer lines before any digging or construction is done in the area and officials will monitor the work to make sure that everything is up to city standards of safety.
“We had some thing similar done at M.C. Castilla Park recently when LULAC put in a flagpole and planter area,” he said. “I think this group will be doing something similar and will probably be displaying the flags on certain days.”
While committee members are anxious to move forward with the work, Howze said the first step will be securing funding.
“The big thing for us will be getting contributions and help from the public,” he said.
To donate or provide history for the Veteran’s Park, contact Howze at 830-372-1033, Reiley at reno(at)reiley.com or any other steering committee member.
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