FORNEY, Texas — City of Forney officials held a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the newly renovated historic Bell Park in downtown Forney on Tuesday afternoon.
FORNEY, Texas — City of Forney officials held a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the newly renovated historic Bell Park in downtown Forney on Tuesday afternoon.
The park was constructed in the mid-80s through the efforts of Doris Hamblin and the Forney Beautification Committee. The park was originally a parking lot serving the Southwestern Bell building until Hamblin negotiated the use of the space as a park — renting the area from Southwestern Bell for 100-year term at $1 annually.
The park earned the Governor’s Community Achievement Award in 1985 and 1986.
“Before we started this project, Bell Park had degraded over the years from the early 2000s and on,” Parks and Recreation Director Richard Curry stated at the ribbon cutting.
Renovation of Bell Park begin in December 2015 and was funded in part by the City of Forney which budgeted $77,000 in this year’s CIP budget and the Spellman Trust which contributed $67,000. $7,626.29 was spent on the park’s renovated design.
Close to 800 flowers, shrubs, and trees were used in the renovation, according to Curry who said the renovation included decorative concrete, flat work, and the refurbishment of the park’s gazebo, fountain, and bell.
“We are extremely proud as a community to have done this revitalization of this park,”Forney Mayor Rick Wilson stated at the ceremony.
The City recently updated Bell Park and it's looking great! The Park will be complete just in time for both the NFHS and FHS proms. So all we need now are cameras and prom-goers!
Posted by City of Forney - City Hall on Monday, April 4, 2016
