Crystal City officials have moved a little closer to building a new Darrell “Hickey” White Park to replace the one that was closed nearly a decade ago.
The Crystal City Council voted 7-0 March 27 to allow Mayor Mike Osher to enter into a contract for up to $28,850 with Cochran Engineering in Fenton for engineering design, bidding and construction services related to the new park.
Mayor Osher said Cochran Engineering would create engineered plans so construction companies interested in building the park will submit bids based on the same blueprints.
“This will have your scope of work. It’s a very thorough contract. It’s what needed to move the Hickey White project forward,” he said.
The new park is to be built on 2.22 acres along Little League Drive south of the Twin City Little League ballfields in Ward 1. The Twin City Levee Commission owns the property, which is on the south side of town, and has given the city permission to use it for the park.
The original Hickey White Park on Crystal Avenue was closed in 2014 after it had fallen into disrepair and the park board decided to stop maintaining it because its restroom building was not compliant with federal Americans with Disabilities Act standards and because the property often flooded.
The park was named for a Crystal City High School basketball player Darrell “Hickey” White, who died in 1977 of a blood disorder at age 18, shortly before graduation.
Council member Mary Schaumburg, the park board liaison, was not present for the vote, but said she was eager for the project to get started. “We’re just really excited. I’ll be happy when we break ground.”
Park board president Jimmie Henson said he’s not sure when construction will start, but he hopes to see it begin by the fall.
Henson also said he doesn’t know how much construction will cost but estimated it would be about $280,000.
Schaumburg said she hopes for a lot of community involvement as the project goes forward and encourages community members to come to the park board meetings at 6:30 p.m. on the first Monday of every month at the Summit building at Crystal City Municipal Park.
“There are a lot of behind-the-scenes things that are happening,” said Schaumburg. “We just ask everybody to be patient. We have money set aside for it. It’s happening.”
She said several workdays at the park for residents to volunteer to help will be held.
Henson said the Hickey White family requested that new basketball courts be a priority when the new park is built.
“What we’ve given Cochran is parking facilities, restrooms which will be ADA accessible, a small play area and the two basketball courts,” Henson said. “The family would like them to be collegiate size, so they’ll be larger than the other courts in Crystal City.”
He echoed the request for patience from the public.
“We’re just now starting to go forward with it. I know people have been waiting for this for quite a while, but COVID really held the city up.”