New park in Rio Hondo already getting use as it nears completion

RIO HONDO -- The city's newest park is only months away from completion, county officials said.

The park on South Reynolds Road, tentatively named Rio Hondo County Park, is being built by the county. But the city is expected to maintain it once it is ready, Cameron County Parks Director Javier Mendez said.

"It's almost completed," Mendez said. "It's open and people are using it."

All that remains to complete the park is the landscaping and the seeding of the fields, he said. Once it stops raining and the ground dries, that work can begin.

Mendez said the city approached the county in February asking for help in seeking a grant for the park. Currently, the only other park the city has is behind the Rio Hondo Municipal Building.

Ultimately, county officials decided to issue certificates of obligation and build the park themselves and turn it over to the city once it's completed, Mendez said.

Certificates of obligation are legal debt instruments used to finance capital improvement projects. They are backed by the full faith and credit of the city and are fully payable from a property tax levy. Certificates of obligation differ from general obligation debt in that they are approved by the City Council rather than by the voters.

The park features a pavilion, playground, basketball court, concession stand, restrooms and playing fields for soccer, softball and baseball, Mendez said. The cost of the park is estimated at $1.6 million.

Once the county turns the park over to Rio Hondo, the city will assume the cost to maintain the area, which includes paying bills for water, sewer, waste management and general landscaping and maintenance.

Mendez estimated it will cost about $47,000 a year for Rio Hondo to maintain the park.