Lewisville holds groundbreaking ceremony for 287-acre Railroad Park Sept. 25

by PegNews wire

LEWISVILLE — A formal groundbreaking ceremony for Lewisville’s new 287-acre park and athletic complex will be held Thursday, Sept. 25, starting at 8:30 a.m. The ceremony will be held near the intersection of Bennett Lane and Railroad Street, and will include a brief presentation by Mayor Gene Carey.

“This is a great moment for Lewisville and its residents,” Carey said. “Railroad Park will be the crown jewel not only for Lewisville but for Southern Denton County.

"It will be a premier facility that residents and visitors can enjoy with their families.”

Railroad Park is scheduled to open in fall 2009 and will feature 10 soccer fields, four baseball fields, four youth football fields, walking trails, the city’s first skate park and the city’s first dog park. The park has been designed with a railroad theme, including concession stands, restrooms and other buildings resembling the city’s historic railroad station

formerly located in Old Town Lewisville. Design was completed by Dunkin Sims Stoffels and the park is being built by CORE Construction.

“We have enjoyed the enthusiasm and dedication of the Railroad Park project leaders and look forward to this successful experience with the city of Lewisville,” said CORE Construction President Keith Roeschley.

Located just east of the Water’s Ridge development, and touching the Elm Fork of the Trinity River, Railroad Park also will have three man-made lakes designed to prevent flooding while offering an attractive park setting. Only about 150 of the park’s acres are being developed.

At a cost of about $21 million, Railroad Park is the largest capital project in the city’s history. The project is being funded through the quarter-cent 4B Parks and Library Sales Tax, approved by voters in September 2002. Other 4B projects have included the 60,000-square-foot library expansion, conversion of two public pools into aquatic parks, and

replacement of playgrounds in some neighborhood parks.

“Railroad Park will be one of the premier multi-sport athletic complexes within the DFW region and the state of Texas,” said architect Bob Stoffels. “It is extremely exciting now that construction has begun and we look forward to the completion of construction in August 2009.”

Source: city of Lewisville