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Alice revitalizes abandoned property into a community park

Alice revitalizes abandoned property into a community park
Alice Southside Park
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For several decades, a property on Alice's south side sat abandoned. Now, city leaders hope to breathe new life into the area with a $400,000 park that's already bringing families together.

The new community park is being built on the site of the old Boys and Girls Club, located on Old Kingsville Road. City leaders said the finished park will resemble Anderson Park, located on the north side of Alice.

Luis Villarreal Jr. has lived in Alice his entire life. He tells KRIS 6 News he's on board with what's coming down the street from the former club location.

Alice revitalizes abandoned property into a community park

"I think it's a good thing they're doing. We need all this stuff for the kids. You know," Villarreal said.

At first, Villarreal was sad to see the building being torn down, but he was relieved when he learned what would replace it.

"I think it's nice because it brings…for the youth. They need something like that where they can concentrate and stay out of trouble," Villarreal said.

Alice City Manager Michael Esparza said the $400,000 price tag is being funded through a specific legislative change.

"This started with, in 2023, the passage of House Bill, I believe, it was 2398. That allowed, specifically, Alice to utilize hotel occupancy funds to enhance and upgrade existing sporting fields and recreation areas," Esparza said.

Esparza tells me the field at the back of the property had already been used for sporting activities like flag football and soccer, which brought many people into Alice.

"We've seen a lot of people utilizing this as soon as it came on board. Next part is going to be the lights for the football and soccer field," Esparza said.

So far, workers have added lights, a playground, and courts for pickleball and basketball. City leaders are still deciding what to do with the old pool on the property.

Miguel Chapa, Alice's Director of Parks and Recreation, says families are always looking for places where kids can play.

"We just want to keep providing facilities where they can come up and enjoy," Chapa said.

The project is expected to wrap up next spring.

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.

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