In Garland…New Projects for 2019
Great news for GISD swimmers! Soon those bus trips to Berkner and Richardson will not be necessary. No further need for bus trips to neighboring cities for students and swim team coaches. The Garland Natatorium will be located at 4700 President George Bush Highway.
After long deliberation and much controversy, it looks like a first rate dog park will soon be constructed at Central Park. The City has committed to a $7Million redo of the Granger Recreation Center on Avenue F, and the dog park will be located nearby. By the time existing amenities have been moved and infrastructure installed, the price tag will be around $1million. The timeline for construction is now slated for February through November, 2019. For more details go online to the City of Garland website. https://www.garlandtx.gov/civicax/filebank/blobdload.aspx?BlobID=31492
A skate park is in the planning stages, and will eventually be constructed in Rick Oden Park, located in City Council District 5. District 5 is represented by Rich Aubin, who would like this to be a destination for local skateboarders, as well as those from neighboring cities. He favors a 40,000 square foot facility that would attract competitions and special events. His fellow council members are not so bullish on the idea, and would favor a staged development. The more conservative approach would be to begin with a much smaller skate park with the option to build stage 2 at a later date. Planners have been requested to return to the Council with detailed plans for both deluxe and scaled down versions of the skate park.
The skate park was originally planned to be located in Central Park. The protests of neighbors of Central Park, along with the enthusiasm of Councilman Aubin to locate it in his district, led to the relocation to Rick Oden Park. Both the dog park and the skate park were part of a 2004 bond election. Since then the popularity of dog parks seems to have increased, but the popularity of skate parks leading up to present times, has been in question. That skepticism lead some Council members to lean towards the more conservative, staged plan for the skate park.
As the redevelopment plan for Historic Downtown Garland begins to show signs of taking hold, the need for infrastructure improvements has arisen. Some of the most apparent needs are greater electrical capacity for better lighting and special event needs, wider sidewalks, better ADA access overall and better parking options.There is also need for enforcement of the 3 hour parking limit around the downtown square. The City has contracted with a firm that is submitting plans for streetscapes addressing those and other issues. At the close of a recent City Council work session, a liaison was appointed to approach area stakeholders with goal of getting their input. The biggest challenge will be in creating the infrastructure improvements with as little as possible obstruction of business in the area of the downtown square. Barring the discovery of unforeseen obstacles, work on this project may begin in 2019.
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