Deadline For Community Members To Complete Online Pacific Park Improvements Survey Is March 19
Work on the Grays Building in Pacific Park is progressing with the roof being installed Wednesday. Crews were on scene using equipment to lift large metal panels to the top of the building to be placed and secured atop the metal frame.
Over the last month, framing and plumbing top-out were finished. Electrical rough-in was nearly complete, and HVAC was being installed March 2, Sulphur Springs City Manager Marc Maxwell reported. The roofer was slated to be onsite the first week of the month, with insulation to be installed the week of March 8. The city manager noted brick and sheetrock won’t be far behind completion of these stages.
With the new Grays Building progressing so well, the City of Sulphur Springs is concentrating focus more toward the redesign and upgrade of the actual park area. Community Development Director Tory Niewiadomski March 11 announced a survey on the city website which community members are invited to complete to weigh in on finishing touches for the park area, including choice of a new playground, uses for a pavilion, additional desire amenities and any other feedback residents wish to relay.
The Pacific Park improvements are part of the Parks, Recreation & Open Space Master Plan adopted by the city in 2019. An emphasis of the plan was to design and develop a Pacific Park Site Specific Master Plan, created based on input from community members during a design charrette.
Voters in November 2019 approved a proposition allowing up to $200,000 of EDC sales and use tax funding to be used annually for up to 20 years by the city’s parks department to repay $3 million worth of bonds which will fund qualified 4B projects, including a new Grays Building in Pacific Park and a new Senior Citizens Center. In August 2020, the city was approved for a $750,000 Texas Parks and Wildlife Department grant for improvements to the grounds at Pacific Park.
“We are delighted to report that we can accomplish the goals for the plan and need further input on some of the finishing touches for the park. Specifically, we would love to hear your input on the playground and functionality of the covered sports pavilion. This information will be reviewed by City Staff and will ultimately lead to a decision on which elements to incorporate into the park,” the prompt on the survey page states.
The survey can be accessed on the City Facebook Page and on the home page of City website, http://www.sulphurspringstx.org/, under the “Latest News” heading or by clicking here
There’s still time for those who wish to weigh in by completing the Pacific Park Improvement Survey. They man do so online through Friday, March 19. A Zoom meeting is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Monday, March 29, to discuss the results and presentation on the next steps moving forward, Niewiadomski noted.
Construction drawings for the new Senior Citizens Center were still being prepared by REES Associates, Maxwell reported in his monthly manager’s report, presented March 2, 2021, to Sulphur Springs City Council. Tandem Consulting has been hired to oversee the construction f the activity center for adults ages 50 and older, as is the case with the Grays Building.
