Colleyville is looking to expand a park to honor its local heroes.

Council approved a services agreement with Freese and Nichols Inc. for the development of construction documents and bidding assistance to redesign Heroes Park on July 18.

“It’s so important that we pause, reflect and honor our fallen heroes,” Mayor Pro Tem Callie Rigney said.

The background

Heroes Park is located near City Hall on a small property behind the Aristide wedding event center. In January, council approved a citizens committee made up of residents with military backgrounds or relevant experience to create a park space for the community, Assistant City Manager Adrienne Lothery said at the July 18 meeting.


The group worked with design consultants and visited several veteran memorials across the metroplex to create a list of desired elements in a new memorial park, she said.

The details

The city is looking at transforming the park space south of City Hall into the new Heroes Park with space for community events. In its concept plans, the park includes the following:
  • Walls for hero recognition that would be inscribed with names and information on military service or contributions to the community
  • Historical information on American military and wars
  • A stage for performances
  • A lawn area for city events
  • A water element and eternal flame sculpture
  • Flags representing U.S. military branches
The project’s price tag is estimated at $6.4 million and will be funded through the city’s capital improvement plan. This is split among costs for site preparation, construction of the Heroes Plaza and event space, road work, and additional project costs. About $500,000 of the project’s cost goes toward the design services with Freese and Nichols, according to city documents.

Lothery said the engineering firm has brought on a subconsultant to the team that designed the Bush Presidential Library.


“We’ve got some really neat experts that are coming to the table to help Colleyville do this in a really excellent fashion,” she said.

Next steps

With a set concept plan, Lothery said the next stage of the process is to do complete design engineering, which is expected to take nine to 12 months. Once the design is finalized, she said the project can be placed out to bid.

Throughout this process, Lothery said work sessions will be held with council once the design team reaches 30%, 60%, 90% and 100% of the design phase.


The city will also hold up to three public open houses throughout the planning process to receive feedback from residents.

“We want to make sure that we engage the community, share the excitement and hear their thoughts too,” Lothery said.