Local news- Press Release
Las Cruces New Mexico - Unidad Park Organizing Committee Members Honored 23 May 2022 ( news )
Las Cruces , state New Mexico ( By Press Release office)
May 23,2022
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As work continues to rebuild and improve Unidad Community Park , 1500 E . Hadley Ave . , the committee who organized residents to help build the park 21 years ago was recently honored by the City of Las Cruces .
Mementos of Unidad Park were recently presented to members of the Community Playground Steering Committee who included Gil Padilla , Guy Floyd , Carla Floyd , Kathy Stout , Ed Fridenstine and Cindy Aragon . Together , the Committee rallied community support for the project and recruited residents to volunteer their time and efforts to build Unidad Community Park in 2001 .
“There is a lot of community pride in Unidad Park because it was completely built by the community , ” Padilla said . “When we started building the park we had over a thousand people working on each of the two or three weekends it took to get it all completed . It has become such a positive thing for our community because it provides a place where families and our children can go . It’s a happy place . ”
Unidad Park truly is a community park . Every bit of the park , in what is popularly known as the Hadley Complex , was built by Las Cruces residents . All materials and labor to build the park were donated by city residents , businesses and organizations who wanted a park for Las Cruces children and families to enjoy .
Twenty - one years later , Unidad Park still is beloved by many city residents . Picnics , birthday parties , and family gatherings are still celebrated at Unidad Park .
However , Unidad Park has begun to show its age and it is now being rebuilt and refurbished as part of the 2018 General Obligation ( GO ) Bond Project . The cost to rebuild the park is $1 . 45 million .
Reconstruction of Unidad Park consists of replacement of its wood playground and installation of a splash pad .
Certain key pieces of the original Unidad Park will be saved and will continue to highlight its character and charm . Those include:
The “Twin Towers , ” which are significant because the park was built shortly after the Sept . 11 , 2001 terrorists attacks in New York City , Washington , D . C . , and in Pennsylvania . Unidad Park’s Twin Towers have served as Las Cruces’ memorial to 9/11 .
Portions of the park’s fencing which includes handprints of some of the families who helped raise funds to build the original park .
Some wood slats of the fence surrounding the park .
The sundial at the park .
The replications of the St . Genevieve steeples , which have been part of Unidad Park’s playground .
The public volunteered its time , efforts and talent to build Unidad Park in 2001 , and in 2018 they once again supported community improvements by voting for a GO Bond . The next GO Bond election will be held later this year . City Council will discuss projects to be on the ballot at an upcoming work session .
Padilla said he is heartened by efforts to rejuvenate and improve Unidad Park .
“All good things have to end , but all the efforts and interests by the community have shown that by working together good things can come together and can be even better . ”
For information about improvements and restoration of Unidad Park , and the status of other GO Bond progects , go to the GO Bond webpage at
https://www . las - cruces . org/1892/General - Obligation - Bond - Projects
. Information is also available by emailing
clcengage@las - cruces . org
.
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