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Celina City Council allocated $11.9 million for stream reconstruction at Ousley Park plus $2.9 million for design services related to the park.
Council approved the spending at a March 10 meeting.
The gist
Parks Director Steve Walsh said the design contract will cover “the final piece” of Ousley Park.
The contract secures design services for several key components of Ousley Park, including:
The contract also includes design services for improvements to South Arkansas Street, which runs along the western border of the park.
City staff expect the design phase to take roughly 12 months, with another 12-18 months for construction.
Another detail
The stream restoration and trail project will help mitigate the erosion of the Doe Branch stream, which runs through Ousley Park.
The project includes installing retaining walls, a pedestrian bridge and a 12-foot concrete trail.
Assistant City Manager Kimberly Brawner said city staff were pleasantly surprised to see the winning bid for the project come in under budget.
“It came in considerably less than expected,” she said. “We’ll take that money and put it into Ousley Park.”
Brawner said the reconstruction will take roughly two years to complete.
The background
City staff started work on Ousley Park in 2022, Brawner said.
The park was created to be “an impactful downtown, urban park ... that preserves [Celina’s] heritage and incorporates the unique history of the area,” according to city documents.
In addition to parkland, Ousley Park also houses the Ralph O’Dell Senior Center, which opened in 2023, and the Parks Administration building, which is set to open this summer.
Looking ahead
The spending is part of a five-year infrastructure plan that council approved March 10. The plan allocates $16.7 million for Ousley Park construction in 2026, and another $8 million is planned for 2027.
