Park Update

Hello everyone!

Just a quick update on the Park...

As promised in an earlier post, the initial dramatic progress in the park with all the big trucks moving lots of dirt has slowed to (what appears to be) a crawl. With the road partially in and buildings going up, it seems like we are getting very close. And we are...

Just to let you know a little bit of what's been going on:

1. The rough grading for the park has been completed. This was the first step because we had to get a place for all the excess water to go. The only thing that's holding us up on getting the drainage completely on line is the lack of power to the site. There are a couple of big pumps that will get the water out of the detention basin into Cotton Bayou, but since there's no power yet we need to wait. One step at a time, and all that...

2. Roads, parking lots, and some of the paths have been constructed. There is some finish work that needs to take place on the roads and sidewalks, including decorative pavers and other nice touches that typically wait until the end so that they don't get wrecked by heavy equipment.

3. Bridges have been installed. Despite the "bridge to nowhere" jokes, these bridges are an integral part of the park's pathway scheme. They are also quite beautiful in their own right.

4. Structures have begun to go up. These are essentially steel frame buildings with concrete block walls. They include restrooms, pavillions, concessions areas, etc. As with the park in general, the initial construction is fairly rapid, but the detailed finish work takes a while to complete. Progress may seem slow but it is inexorably moving towards completion. One of the things that needs completion is the panel room for distribution of power. This is the essential link in getting power to the site (ball field lighting, parking lot lights, lights in the bathrooms, etc) and especially to the pumps mentioned above.

5. Landscaping has begun to be installed. This is actually a good time of year to plant. Since the trees are dormant, there's no big shock to their system from being uprooted and transplanted at a time when they are actively growing. Sod and other plants are a little less transplant-tolerant, so that will have to wait until further site improvements are accomplished (including finish grading).

So there you have it. There is, of course, much more that is taking place. Some decisions still need to be made, including pathway wayfinding signage, etc. But all in all, we are still looking at a completion date of late summer 2010. Stay tuned! More to come...