Town officials and residents gathered at the Coit Road and East First Street intersection to celebrate the official groundbreaking of Raymond Community Park on Feb. 22.
“This majestic piece of our town has patiently waited, like all of our residents have, so graciously for this exciting day,” Mayor David Bristol said.
What happened
The groundbreaking celebration comes just over a month after work first began on the roughly 67-acre, $20 million park. Construction is expected to finish in summer 2025, Bristol said.
“Today we celebrate the opportunity to add an important component to our park system,” Parks and Recreation Director Dan Baker said. “Just as importantly, it's about honoring someone who was very important with this community.”
The park is named for Dudley Raymond, Prosper’s parks and recreation director before Baker.
Dudley Raymond died of complications related to COVID-19 In October 2021. The Raymond family, some of whom attended the Feb. 22 ceremony, is honored and humbled by the decision to name the park for him, his wife, Bridget Raymond, said.
“It's going to be wonderful to come here and watch children, families and the Prosper community enjoy such an amazing park that bears my husband's name on it,” she said.
The project
Raymond Community Park will be the town’s third-largest park once built and will feature:
- Lighted baseball fields
- Pickleball and tennis courts
- Playground space
- Trails
- Multiuse fields
“Raymond Park will now and forever stand on to honor the person for whom it is named and to serve the people for whom it is built,” Bristol said.
