If you’ve been through Orange lately you’ve probably noticed the new bright orange playground equipment coming up at Lions Park.
Although it looks like it’s coming up quickly, and it is, Parks Director James Lawrence says it may be Christmas before it’s ready to be played on.
“The equipment came in a little earlier than expected but the company putting it in said a 60-90 day install,” Lawrence said. “It will be one of the largest parks around and there’s still sidewalks and things that need to be built that you can’t see from the street.”
City council voted back in June to spend the money to replace the old wooden playground that was closed after being deemed unsafe.
Lawrence said there will also be a new pavilion built where the covered area is next to the playground equipment. He said it will be similar to the pavilion at Memorial Field but a little larger.
Lawrence said most of the parks fared well in Hurricanes Laura and Delta. “We probably had damage to a lot of trees at Northway Park, mostly inside the circle, but that was nothing compared to Rita,” he said. “But we cleared the walkways so it can be used while we do some other things.”
That includes new walkways coming next year. They will use a crushed granite or a cinder base that will make the track more stable and something that can be used year round. Lawrence compared it to what the track at Memorial Park in Houston uses.
The hurricanes did the most damage at Memorial Field off Eddleman where many of the baseball and softball fields had damage.
Lawrence added the new pavilion at the Orange Boat Ramp did very well in the heavy winds and didn’t suffer any damage.
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