Louisville’s Ivy Park gets a makeover
LOUISVILLE, Miss. (WTOK) – Prior to expanding, Ivy Park was made up of a couple of baseball fields, a tennis court and a walking track. Mayor Will Hill said he saw a vision for something more a few years ago.
“This project really birthed in early 2015. It was always a vision to expand our park, but since that time, we’ve increased our footprint by buying 8.5 acres. With that is a lot of planning, a lot of patience and we’re finally getting close to the end,” said Hill.
The new additions include two splash pads, four new ball fields, restrooms, concessions and a brand new playground.
Hill said the funds to cover the new expansion came from a combination of federal, state, and local financing, as well as recovery funds.
“We’ve been very strategic over the years since the dreadful disaster of 2014, so by unique legislation, a lot of planning, we’ve been able to leverage recovery to do a lot of things other communities have not been able to do,” said Hill.
The mayor says the upgraded park has created quite a buzz on social media and through word of mouth.
“We do have a vision for where we want to go and creating a buzz about Louisville being a destination for tournaments or activity. And it has been flattering already to see the buzz in neighboring towns talking about the parks we have and we’re not even 100% complete yet,” said Hill.
The playground and splash pads are open 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. daily and the rest is expected to open in July.
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