Center Park coming to life

It’s been a few years in the making, but what was once a vision in the minds of Centerville Mayor and Council is now only a few weeks away from being manifested. As fall settles in, the city of Centerville can look forward to a brand new park that will create an exceptional quality of life for all residents and visitors.

Director of Economic Development Kate Hogan told Houston Home Journal that Center Park at Centerville is a long-term plan to which Mayor John Harley and the members of city council have dedicated themselves since 2016. The construction is now about halfway through the project’s first phase.

“The first phase consists of a splash pad, playground, the restrooms, lots of green space and a pavilion,” Hogan explained. “The pavilion seats 100, so it’ll be the perfect place to grab a bite to eat during Food Truck Friday under some fans and the shade, or it’ll be the best place to go for our Farmer’s Market, which will be the first and third Saturdays.”

Hogan said that they’ve been working for the past four years for several events, and now, citizens can look forward to having all of those same events take place in a much better venue at Center Park at Centerville.

“It’s going to be such an incredible opportunity to really have a gathering place and a community center for people to come and kick a ball around with their kids or to come to one of our big events,” said Hogan. “We’re going to be having Independence Day there, Fall Festival there; it’s just going to be a really great time.”

The first phase of construction was done through WM2A Architects and ICB Construction, both of which, Hogan mentioned, have been a joy to work with on the project. “They took a 2D vision that mayor and council had and really brought it to life.”

If one were to visit the site today, they would see the progress that’s being made. The retention pond, thanks to the help of the Houston County Board of Commissioners, is done. The buildings are going up, and the addition of the splash pad has begun. According to Hogan, the playground will likely be one of the last things to be completed.

“They have to do a bunch of irrigation and landscaping,” she pointed out, “so that we can have that nice green space where people can come and hang out with their kids or experience one of our amazing events.”

The plan for the development of Center Park at Centerville was formally adopted in October of 2016, and shortly afterward, build-dirt donations began coming in for the worksite and the board of commissioners moved it over. There was significant site work that had to be completed in order to ensure that the park was brought to the level needed. For some areas, that took nearly 10 feet of build-dirt.

“Mayor and council were really careful and fiscally responsible for every tax payer dollar, so we were able to receive most of that in-kind,” Hogan said.

The projected completion date for Center Park at Centerville is this fall, if the weather between now and then permits the workers to be diligent in their efforts. “As long as the weather cooperates with us for the rest of this summer and we don’t have significant rain delays, hopefully we’ll be able to turn on the splash pad and enjoy that this fall,” Hogan said. “But we are planning on doing a Fall Festival Grand Opening in October.”

The location of Center Park at Centerville is 103 Church Street, and once the park officially opens, that will be the address of the “place to be.” There will be something for the entire family; even the availability of free WiFi, which Hogan said is a perfect bonus feature for parents who may want to be working on things while they watch their children play.

On top of being an ideal location for people to relax in the shade, the large pavilion will also be a space that can be booked for private events. “The pavilion rental agreement will be on our July 7 council agenda,” Hogan revealed. “It’ll be there for mayor and council to review and approve. We will allow for birthday parties, family reunions and other gatherings. There will be a quick form that we hope to upload to our website in the next couple of weeks for those interested to fill out. Organizations can also do special events there. It’s really going to be a focus on community and a focus on family.”

According to Hogan, this developing park was the brainchild of Mayor Harley and Centerville Council. “They saw the need for new recreation in 2007 and 2008. They partnered with UGA to redesign a downtown and redesign a civic green space for people to gather.”

Due to the economic downturn in 2008 and 2009, Hogan went on to say that they weren’t able to move forward with those plans. However, she explained, “In 2016, they hired Clarks Patterson Lee, re-envisioned that, and purchased the property from Chief Deputy Billy Rape from Houston County Sheriff’s office and his sister—that’s who originally owned that property.”

Once the property was purchased, plans moved forward, and now, as the time is nearing for the unveiling, Hogan says that the city is very excited and looking forward to seeing how the space will bring the population together.

“This has been an incredible experience for the past four years,” she concluded. “We’re ready, and so is the community.”

HHJ News