Amarillo Parks & Roads Are FINALLY Getting An Overhaul

Well it's about time. A couple of things that have been neglected far too long in Amarillo are finally getting their due, and the upgrades they so desperately need.

Roads and parks. Two things in Amarillo that never seem to get the funding they deserve, and so desperately need. Now, they're going to get the love the deserve.

The City of Amarillo mentioned they sold a debt on the open market and they received a little over $16 million from that. The majority of it will be used to improve the infrastructure of the parks and roads.

What Parks Will Get Improvements

There are two parks that were specifically mentioned that will receive upgrades. Those parks are Thompson Park and John Stiff Park. Ironically those two are quite possibly the largest parks we have in the city.

They are also the two most frequented parks by visitors, whether day or night, so improvements there will definitely be a good thing.

What Improvements Are Being Made To The Parks

Two things are on the agenda for those parks. One of them, and this is a big one, is some new lighting in the parks. Many people like to visit the parks at night, and right now there simply isn't enough lighting to keep people safe.

The other half of these improvements, and this is a huge one for me being a youth sports parent, is adding more parking spaces at the parks and athletic venues. During tournaments, parking can become a serious problem if you don't have the first games of the day, so I'm a huge proponent of this piece.

So What About The Roads

Well the city council approved $12 million that would be able to fund street repairs for 10 years in the city. The money would allow for approximately 17 miles of road repairs, and there are plenty in the city that need it.

It'll be stretched out to use about $1.2 million per year over those 10 years, so you won't see all the roads get fixed in one fell swoop.

Which Roads Will Be Repaired

That's something that we don't have much knowledge on as of yet, but they did mention S. Georgia being one of the spots.

The main focus will be on things such as chip seal projects, fixing potholes (THANK YOU!) and addressing some of the aging infrastructure of the roads in the city.