Makeover possible for Bicentennial Park

Southlake’s Bicentennial Park could be getting a face lift and overhaul during the next few years if the council and various boards approve a schematic concept plan and design that was presented to the council at Tuesday’s meeting.

“It will be like going to a park decorated for the 4th of July every day,” said Community Services Director Steve Polasek.

The plan presented shows a Bicentennial Park with new features and refurbished older features that will serve the needs of the city for many years to come. Polasek said the design and concept plan gives the city a tool for developing and refurbishing the park in an orderly manner that will produce a high quality park in keeping with the rest of Southlake.

“The schematic design provides a starting point to dramatically transform the existing and proposed areas of the park into a beautiful, safe and functional environment for recreators and spectators,” Polasek said.

Bicentennial Park was built in the late 70s and was the first park built in the city. It is located north of Southlake Boulevard, west of White Chapel Boulevard and east of Shady Oaks Road. The park became the center of athletic facilities in the city after additional land was purchased west from White Chapel. Much of that western property remains undeveloped at this time.

Baseball facilities outnumber all other uses, but the park also includes basketball goals, an in-line hockey rink, a tennis center with pro shop, a maintenance building and yard, a large playground, two small community buildings, the Liberty Garden demonstration garden and support facilities. There are approximately 80 acres of land included in Bicentennial Park.

According to a 2005 study regarding existing park facilities and future needs commissioned by the city, there are a number of amenities proposed that will both soften the feel of the park as well as add activities which are lacking in the park system. New development proposed at that time included:

· Four lighted athletic fields

· Large open space picnic area

· Skate park

· Lighted sand volleyball courts

· Additional trails

· Landscaping and entry upgrades

· A department of public safety “Safety Town” which will be a demonstration area for children to learn bike and pedestrian safety.

The schematic design includes those improvements and adds several more. The intent is to give the city a plan for the entire park that can be done in phases but will still adhere to the original design.

“We recognize that Bicentennial Park has been built in phases and the result is there is not a good flow in the park,” Polasek said. “This is the city’s central park and its premier facility, but we realize it doesn’t meet the high standards Southlake residents are accustomed to. Because the western portion of the park is largely undeveloped, one of the things we are looking at first is how to meld those two components together in a quality facility.”

Included in the design plan are a baseball stadium, Safety Town, other water features, improved trails and a number of other amenities residents have indicated they would like to see in Southlake.

“At this time, this is just a plan,” Polasek said. “It still has to go through the approval process and I don’t know if the city will be able to finance the entire project at one time. This is a huge park and it will require a significant investment by the city, with the costs of all the proposed areas reaching just a little over $26 million. In light of that, we have broken up the construction into logical phases that would be more manageable for the city to pay for.”

According to Polasek, work on the new park is not assured at this point; the city is simply looking at a plan to see what parts they would like to use and how to finance the construction costs.

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