The community can enjoy new and improved amenities thanks to recently completed renovations at Edgewood Park, located in south Houston at 5803 Bellfort near Martin Luther King Blvd. The improvements were celebrated with a Sept. 8 ribbon-cutting ceremony.
M2L Associates was the landscape architect on the project, which added a new playground, water spray ground, picnic shelter, exercise station, walkways, seat walls, landscaping, lighting, new tables and benches, barbeque grills, and storm water detention upgrades. One of the oldest parks in Houston, Edgewood Park was acquired by the City of Houston in 1953. Today it includes 11 acres, a community center, walking trails, baseball and soccer fields — along with the recent improvements.
The renovations cost $1,566,000, according to the Houston Parks and Recreation Department (HPARD), and were made possible with money from the Parks Consolidated Construction Fund, Parks and Recreation Dedication Funds, and grant funding from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.
HPARD Director Kenneth Allen and Council Member Carolyn Evans-Shabazz (District D) were there to cut the ribbon, surrounded by area children who came to enjoy the new playground equipment and spray ground renovations. Spray grounds provide year-around fun at 27 HPARD parks, including Edgewood, and are often safer, more cost effective and easier to maintain than swimming pools.
M2L Associates Principal Wen-Ping Hung, lead designer on the project, said the new water feature was a big hit with area youth. “With these improvements the park is better able to serve the needs of families in the neighborhood, especially those with young children,” she added. “The park playground equipment was old and outdated and did not have equipment suitable for children ages 2 to 5. Dynamic climbing equipment for teenagers was added as well as exercise equipment for parents and young adults.”
M2L Associates has worked on more than 120 parks across greater Houston and the Gulf Coast, including many in the HPARD system. For more information about our deep experience in parks and open-space design, click here.