Ten years in the making, current and former city officials in Cypress gathered to cut the proverbial ribbon and open what has become one of the most transformative and expensive parks in the city’s history.
“Welcome to the Grand Opening of the Reimagined Arnold Cypress Park,” said current Mayor David Burke as he joined almost a dozen city officials who had a hand in the park’s transformation.
Nearly a dozen former Mayors and Council members joined Burke and city staff for the Grand Opening on May 9.
A rnold Cypress Park, a 14.5-acre parcel on Watson Street first opened as a park in 1949 and had become out of date when the city began its “Reimagine Arnold Cypress Park” campaign several years ago.
In a posted video segment, former mayor and council member Rob Johnson said he moved to Cypress in 1999 and helped organize more than 400 girls into a softball league.
“We built up the league to 47 teams, 427 girls, but I had gone to the city council and said ‘we need to do something about this park,’” said Johnson.
He said the park initially opened seven years before Cypress became a city in 1956.
Johnson said he was elected to the Council in 2012, and they began an effort to reimagine the park. One of the fields are named after Johnson.
Other fields were named after softball legend Lucy Polanco and Anna Piercy, former Council member and AUHSD member.
“I mean, this is awesome,” said Diana Abruscato, the owner of Performance Pickleball. “I’m just blown away,” she said. “I must say, the City of Cypress is ahead of the curve here,” citing the two state-of-the-art baseball and softball fields, eight lighted pickleball courts, complete with court dividers, and more.
“I mean just really beyond state of the art,” she said.
Marcus Collum, a resident who lives near the park, said he and his family were happy to see the renovation. “This is something I was excited about and we’re definitely going to utilize the park,” he said
The City of Cypress spent a total of approximately $40 million on the “transformative” plan to rebuild Cypress Arnold Park in a multi-purpose recreation haven that already has residents swarming in to enjoy the outdoors.
The project was self-funded by the city through its recreation district. This includes $33.5 million for construction and approximately $7 million for interest on the facility paid through the recreation district’s recurring funds.
Though its construction squeaked by on a 3-2 vote, it was all smiles this past week and several former mayors joined the current elected officials, all wearing green “Cypress” baseball jerseys, to officially open the park.
The project includes four softball fields, lighted volleyball and basketball courts, eight lighted pickleball courts, a half-mile walking path, a fitness area, a playground with shade, new restrooms and a concession stand, ample parking, and improved visibility for law enforcement with more lighting and security cameras.Construction began in December 2023 and was completed on budget and on time to open this past week.
According to City Manager Peter Grant, approximately 800 people turned out for the grand opening and he reported at last week’s Council meeting that some of the girls softball players were in tears when they first saw their new playing fields.
“The grand opening of Cypress Arnold Park really hasn’t gotten its due,” Grant told the Council at their most recent meeting in May.
He complimented the city’s public works and recreation departments for working through recent torrential floods to overcome massive odds to finish the project on time.
Grant said the ball fields that now sit on the reimagined park have been named after several people in Cypress “who have done nothing but good works and deserve all of the applause and plaudits heaped upon them.”
The park’s amenities include;
- Walking Path (1/2 mile)
- Child and Tot Play Area
- Drinking Fountain with Bottle Filler and Dog Bowl
- Electric Vehicle Parking – 12 Spaces
- Fitness Zone
- Lighted Basketball and Volleyball Court
- 1 Natural Softball Field with Dugouts and Bleachers
- 3 Synthetic Turf Softball Fields with Dugouts and Bleachers
- Parking – 294 spots
- 4 Picnic Pavilions
- Restrooms
- Sport Field Lighting
- Clearly, said Grant, Cypress Arnold Park will become the “crown jewel” in the city’s park portfolio.