Harry Potter may have just been spinning his magic in downtown for July’s Last Friday event but city commissioners waved their magic wands and, thanks to one vote, approved funding to make improvements to McCall Park.
“McCall Park hosts more than 30 events and rentals annually,” said Parks and Recreation Director Julie Garretson in her presentation to the commission. “As the focal point of the downtown area, improvements are an ongoing effort.”
Twenty-six park benches, similar in design to ones already replaced in other parts of downtown, will be purchased to replace the old ones at a total cost of $45,543.88. The wooden gazebo, that Garretson said has required constant attention by the General Services Department because of its age, weather damage and wood rot, will be swapped out with a modern, multi-use steel shade structure with new concrete footings and slab. The new ground-level structure, measuring 15-feet by 16 1/2-feet, will be built in another area of the park, approximately 20 feet from the existing gazebo, and will feature electrical outlets. The cost of new gazebo, slab and installation is $75,547.18. To help keep the new landscaping maintained, commissioners also approved the purchase of a Toro Greensmaster walk-behind lawnmower dedicated to mowing the Bermuda grass in the park.
The improvements will ultimately help revitalize the downtown area. “The benefit to the community is we’re refreshing a very popular park that people visit every single day of the year, it’s the center of all the downtown activities,” said City Manager Bill McDaniel. “Keeping it maintained is important to supporting those events.”
This will be the last year McCall park’s Ashe Juniper tree, located adjacent to the existing gazebo, will be decked out with Christmas lights. The tree has not aged well and many sections of the evergreen are downright bare, thanks in part to it being starved for sunlight thanks to neighboring oak trees that block the sun.
“We’ll have to work on finding a replacement for Lights of Love, we’re looking at doing the digital Christmas tree which would fit in well with the lights display,” said McDaniel.
The project is expected to be finished within six or seven months.