Multiple Tupelo parks to see upgrades next year
Dec. 5—TUPELO — Tupelo officials have laid out their plans for extensive upgrades to three city parks over the next year, which include restrooms, pavilions and other equipment for all three.
During a Monday night work session, Tupelo Project Manager Neal McCoy presented county leaders with updated plans for upgrades to Ballard, Gum Tree and Hancock parks. Ballard Park will likely be the first to receive upgrades.
The city received $1 million in state bond monies over the past two legislative sessions to build a playground compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act at Ballard Park. Park upgrades will also include a new boulevard entrance to Main Street and a new parking lot.
McCoy said the bids will come before the city council during the second meeting in January.
"The entrance is where the entrance is now; we are just creating a boulevard entrance into Ballard Park," McCoy said. "Then we will create a crescent-shaped parking lot that will then give us space to install an ADA-accessible playground."
Work on the project will be broken into multiple phases. The first phase will involve renovations to the park's entrance and parking. The second phase will see the installation of the playground equipment, plus the addition of a pavilion and restrooms. Phase III will involve constructing terraced seating for the amphitheater, stabilization of the banks at the lake and updating the lighting around the walking track.
McCoy said Tuesday that Phase III is depending on money left over from the project's first two phases.
The upgrades to Ballard Park were on the forefront of the issues Ward 6 Councilwoman Janet Gaston previously pointed to as a goal for her term. She said Tuesday that she first brought up the need for an accessible playground when she was elected and that she expected it to take "several years" to move forward.
Gaston said it "speaks well of the city" that the project gained momentum within her first term.
"I'm excited that (the playground) is important to our city and our legislature," she said Tuesday. "It's going to be a win-win for everybody."
Meanwhile, both Gum Tree and Hancock parks will receive upgrades that include restrooms to both parks, which currently have no permanent places to go. McCoy said it will take about $1 million to complete both projects.
Ward 4 Councilwoman Nettie Davis previously pushed for the replacement of a pavilion at Gum Tree Park, noting that the structure was destroyed before the current term and still has not been fixed. McCoy said part of the project is to rebuild said pavilion.
"I am satisfied with the presentation (McCoy's) done for me," Davis said regarding Gum Tree Park. "I want to see that (pavilion replaced) soon."
Hancock will also have fiber cables installed on the site for automated locks on the new bathrooms, as well as security cameras. McCoy said the city will build a new pavilion will at Hancock Park, and the basketball courts will be resurfaced and the goals replaced.
Hancock and Gum Tree parks' projects will go out to bid in January and be up for a vote by the council in February.