Prosper adds field lighting to Raymond Community Park fields amid rising costs

Dan Baker, parks and recreation director, said the town has advertised for years that the fields would eventually be lighted.

“We’ve already covered lighting for the baseball fields and the courts and the walkways out there for safety,” Baker said. “This would be additional lighting for just the multi-purpose fields.”

The lighting addition brings the total project budget to $26.257 million, according to city documents.

The $1.93 million additional lighting cost will be covered by the PASO donation and through the town’s project savings, bond interest improvement fees and contingency funds.

Some context

Baker said the cost of the lighting has increased due to steel and aluminum tariffs, which doubled from 25% to 50% in June.

Town Manager Mario Canizares confirmed the resulting 15% cost increase for the lighting is not due to anticipated effects from the tariffs but from price increases the contractors are already experiencing.

“The 15% [increase] is problematic,” Canizares said. “Steel and aluminum tariffs went into effect in mid-June..., so we’re affected by those things.”

Council member Jeff Hodges said while the project is expensive, lighting the fields aligns with the town’s standards.

“When [COVID-19] hit and prices for materials just escalated, it’s kind of just something that we had to absorb and work around,” Hodges said. “We’re seeing that again [now], so it’s unfortunate, but I do think it’s something that we need to again find a way to get done.”

Mayor David Bristol said the project has been difficult in many areas over the years and expects the town to continue to experience difficulties as they move forward.

“Without the PASO funding, this is a very hard pill to swallow,” Bristol said. “It’s going to be something that we’re going to probably need to just move on [from] for the benefit of the community.”

One more thing

Once complete, the park will feature:

• Pickleball and tennis courts
• Baseball fields and batting cages
• Multi-use fields
• Playground
• Garden

The tennis and pickleball courts and playground are expected to open in October, and the baseball complex and multipurpose fields are expected to open spring 2026, according to city documents.