In a move that's set to dramatically prop up urban green spaces in southeast Fort Worth, the Park & Recreation department has snagged a hefty $1.5 million Urban Outdoor Grant from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, putting a total of around $6.5 million on the table for realizing the Oak Grove Community Park dream. This plot of land at the intersection of Oak Grove Road and Oak Grove Shelby Road, spread across 67 sprawling acres, was snatched up by the city some time ago in November 2015, Fort Worth's official website reports.
The latest financial injection is a follow-up act to last year's $1.5 million TPWD largesse, together with local matches, and it's going to catapult the park's development into full throttle with pavilions, playgrounds, and trails that this construction, slated to start falling, will mix paved paths and softer, earthier trails for all your trotting, meandering or whatever it is you do in parks, plus nature spots that come complete with informative signage that'll likely tell you which tree you're staring at. "We are thrilled to receive a second TPWD grant to expand the recreational opportunities at Oak Grove Park," Joel McElhany, Park & Recreation assistant director, enthused on the City of Fort Worth website, forecasting a future where families delve into the great outdoors without leaving city limits.
Cross your fingers for sports enthusiasts too, because the park is also setting the stage for practice fields, courts of all sorts – where I presume you can play your basketballs, your tennis, your volleyball, whatever – and expanded parking to accommodate all the extra visitors. With construction crews gearing up to break ground come fall, the park's soon-to-be-users can look forward to a new hub of communal leisure and frolic.
