The Whitesboro City Council approved a resolution and site plan on Monday, Aug. 5, for a Mega Park to be constructed on the north side of Godwin Park.
The park will coincide with the projected Fourth Street project that the city has been working on. According to City Administrator Julie Arrington, the projected plan is for Fourth Street to be expanded straight through to Hwy. 377. It will come across the north side of the park and come out north of Dennards Farm Store.
Arrington said this project is partially engineered with the help and efforts of the Economic Development Corporation (EDC). The city is working on completing the funding for this project.
The Mega Park is projected to bring to Godwin Park four pickleball courts, an amphitheater (for live music and events), a skate park, an inclusive playground (ADA rated), a splash pad (proposed to be behind the pool and community center), a trail extension, on-street parking (off of Wilson Street and on the north side of the park) and on-site relocation of the soccer fields.
The total estimated cost for this project is $1,755,477.02. They have also estimated the cost for a future option for a food truck court as $360,336.40.
Arrington said the current splash pad concept would be operated with a push button. When users push a button, water would be sent to the feature, helping with water conservation as the splash pad would not be running when not in use.
Arrington said the State of Texas likes for parks to use recirculation pumps. However, the City of Whitesboro is working with a different idea to have a storage tank. Instead of recirculating, it will be tied into the irrigation system. Therefore, all the water that drains from the splash pad will go into the system and be used to irrigate the park’s lawn. Although concepts may change, this is one idea the city is leaning towards and looking to take the necessary steps to make it happen.
As for the soccer fields, Arrington said the idea is to move the goals onto the field during soccer season and remove them when the season ends.
To help offset project costs, Arrington said the City of Whitesboro has applied for a $1.5 million Texas Parks and Wildlife grant, the highest level of grants for local parks in Texas. It is a 50/50 match between the city and the state ($750K divided between the two). This funding would give the city an excess of more than $255K.
The City Council approved the hiring of a grant administrator to help the City Administrator with the documentation to facilitate the grant. Arrington said she has already received several signed sponsorships in the total amount of $124,312 from many individuals and businesses in Whitesboro in efforts to help fund this project. Arrington has also received a verbal commitment of another $273K. Arrington has created a line item in the city finances to keep all donations given specifically for this project separate. She said these funds are 100 percent earmarked for this project.
“I’d like to thank those that have signed sponsorships in efforts to fund this project. I’m grateful to Tim and Kim Ferguson, Kyle Ferguson, Stacy Childress (Holiday Auto Group), Alvin Childress (Holiday Auto Group), Matt Johnson (Holiday Auto Group), Dennards, Courtney Bennett, Tom Axtell (Axtell Pharmacy), Happy Dave, Mike Burkleo, MB Electric, Whitesboro Chamber of Commerce, Daniel Sisk, Jamie Oakley and Ted and Evie West,” Arrington said. “With their help, we can bring this Mega Park to our community and help improve the quality of life for our citizens.”
Regarding timeline for this project, Arrington said the deadline for the grant application was August 1. The application has been submitted and the deadline was met. The city will not know if Whitesboro has been approved for the grant until February or March of 2025. If approved, the city will then begin the engineering process.
Because of the intensive engineering process that involves necessary documents, architecture, engineering and contracts, the process would take about one year to complete. Therefore, a rough estimated timeline to break ground on the project is spring of 2026. After that, the whole project will take about a year to complete. Residents could expect to see the Mega Park accessible by spring of 2027.
Arrington said this Mega Park concept is that of Mayor Dave Blaylock, and the amount of support the city has already received shows there are many people behind him.
“This is the mayor’s vision for that park,” Arrington said. “It has been since I got here.”
Arrington said this project ties into the needs of the city. City Hall has outgrown its current facility and the Whitesboro Fire Department has outgrown its fire house. She confirmed the city has purchased property on the north side of the park (south side of Fourth Street). The proposed Fourth Street extension project would include a new building to house Whitesboro’s Fire and Police Departments, dispatch, jail and courthouse. Arrington believes having the Fire Department and Police Department right off Hwy 377 will help with parking and more exposure.
“With Fourth Street coming through, I think that’s going to be a very visible location for Whitesboro,” Arrington said.
These changes have been encouraged by the growth that is expected to come to the City of Whitesboro. Arrington said they are expected to add 600 new water meters in the next 18 to 24 months. She said Whitesboro is expecting a 20 to 30 percent growth in population, so the city is trying to be proactive and prepare now for all the growth to come.