All Day Juneteenth Freedom Celebration Planned June 19 At Pacific Park
The new Grays Building in Pacific Park will be on display for public viewing at noon on Friday, June 18, 2021, when the ribbon will officially be cut. Work has been ongoing on the site all year. During the month of May, a dedication was held and a plaque placed in honor of the building’s namesake, the late Mr. H.W. Grays, who as a community leader was involved during his lifetime in activities for children and youth.
The new Grays Building is a community center, complete with restrooms, storage, and a kitchen area with refrigerator and appliances. There’s also a small covered patio suitable for picnic tables and dining. The majority of the structure was completed in May 29, 2021, with one exception – the roll up bay doors that open into the park have yet to arrive and be installed. However, there are temporary roll up doors. The permanent doors will be made of glass. Restroom fixtures and facilities, and kitchen counters and equipment also had yet to be fully installed on May 29. City staff have performed as much of the work for the project as possible to save money, including doing all of the ground work. City crews had begun placing the sidewalk at the May groundbreaking.
The construction of the Grays Building was the first phase of the voter-approved park improvement program funded with bonds authorized by taxpayers, as well as an overall renovation of Pacific Park. Part of the bond funds will also go toward construction of a new senior citizens activity center on Oak Avenue. Bonds issued for both building projects will be repaid using EDC funding over the next 20 years.
The next phase of the Pacific Park improvements will be renovation of the actual grounds themselves, which a Texas Parks and Wildlife Grant will help fund. That part of the park renovation project is just getting started. Additional parking spaces, a walking track, new sports pavilion and new playground are part of the overall plan for the park.
The ribbon will be cut at noon Friday June 18, 2021, for the new Grays Building, and the public is invited to attend.
The Pacific Park and HW Grays Building will be in use the next day, Saturday June 19, with a Juneteenth Freedom Celebration which will be an all-day event. There will be food, music, games and fun. A Semi-2K Dun to Freedom will begin at 8 a.m., and a Juneteenth Parade will begin at 11 a.m. A host of games and music will take place all day.
