Risinger Park in Fabens is getting a fresh new look. El Paso County has kicked off a year-long, $816,484 renovation of the 1.2-acre county park at 301 Grace Street, bringing new picnic shelters, updated lighting, expanded parking, and other amenities to the small eastern El Paso County community.
According to El Paso County, the improvements aim to create a better, safer and more enjoyable community space for local families, who officials say can enjoy the updated park for years to come. The project's official budgeted cost, $816,484, is documented in the county's strategic capital plan dashboard, and county officials broke ground on the work on March 20, per KTSM 9 News. Construction is expected to run about a year.
What's Changing at the Fabens Park
The renovation includes standard picnic shelters, picnic tables, benches, trash receptacles, and a drinking fountain, alongside LED lighting, native landscaping, and updated signage, per the same capital plan dashboard. Visitors will also see expanded parking and new seven-foot sidewalks once the work wraps up. The upgrades are designed to improve family convenience, accessibility, safety, and energy efficiency at the park.
Risinger Park has already seen a string of recent investments. In August 2023, the park opened an all-abilities playground, becoming the third fully inclusive playground built by El Paso County to accommodate children with physical and sensory disabilities, according to a report from the City of El Paso. That effort reflects a broader county push to expand all-abilities play structures across its rural precincts.
A Basketball Court Built With Neighborhood Input
The park's amenities have also grown through direct community partnership. In October 2024, the county broke ground on a new full-sized outdoor basketball court at Risinger Park in collaboration with the Fabens Neighborhood Association, and the court was completed with a public ribbon-cutting that December, KVIA reported. Neighborhood advocates worked closely with county leaders to help secure funding for that court.
The current makeover is funded through Proposition A of the 2024 El Paso County Capital Improvement Bond, which voters approved to direct $95.615 million into countywide park and recreation facilities. Rural communities in lower El Paso County have received substantial shares of that funding, including more than $8 million for Fabens Veterans Park and multi-million-dollar allocations for San Felipe Park alongside Risinger Park, according to El Paso Matters.
More Than Just a Playground
Beyond recreation, Risinger Park doubles as a civic gathering space for the Fabens area. The park hosts El Paso County Sheriff's Office open-air shift briefings as well as “Parks After Sunset” family movie nights, according to the El Paso County Parks & Recreation department. Deputies from the Peter J. Herrera Patrol Station use those park briefings to engage directly with Fabens residents.
The park falls under the Parks and Recreation Division of the El Paso County Public Works Department, which manages dozens of rural parks, sports complexes and pools across the county. That office charges standardized reservation fees ranging from $5 to $200 for picnic shelters and pavilions at its facilities.
Risinger Park's makeover stands as a smaller-scale example of how Proposition A's $95 million countywide parks bond is reaching rural precincts alongside larger, higher-profile urban projects such as those underway at Ascarate Park. For Fabens residents, the payoff will be a park with updated features and improved amenities that county officials say will serve the community well beyond this construction cycle.
