ROANOKE, Va. – Construction is already underway at Raleigh Court Park. It is one of six new playgrounds coming to Roanoke City this summer.
Thanks to the single largest and most expansive investment in the park system in 20 years, city parks are getting an upgrade.
“We had a huge amount of investment coming into our parks this year. So about $2.3 million that we are using to address a lot of deferred maintenance issues in our parks,” said Katie Slusher, Roanoke Parks and Recreation Planning and Development Coordinator.
A lot of that money is going into the new playgrounds. Raleigh Court, Garden City, River’s Edge, Staunton, Washington and West End will all see new additions.
Another big expense is giving the various courts a facelift.
“We have nine parks that will be getting resurfaced basketball courts, resurfaced tennis courts and we also have some new futsal courts that we’ll be transitioning some underutilized tennis courts too,” Slusher added.
The project is bigger than just playgrounds and courts. It’s enhancing areas of the parks that may need a little TLC.
“New amenities like seating or water fountains, new signage, so there’s going to be something that everyone in every neighborhood will see in terms of an improvement.”
The projects are expected to be completed by July.