City of Athens breaks ground on new Sunrise Park
Reading time: 2 minutes
The City of Athens broke ground today on the first construction phase of Sunrise Park on Pryor Street. The site is on the former Pilgrim’s Pride property that was abandoned when the company closed its Athens plant in 2009.
Here’s what to know:
Sunrise Park construction begins
The City held public input meetings during the design phase and received feedback about the need for a splash pad and more inclusive playground opportunities.
So, the first phase of the new park includes:
- A splash pad
- Inclusive playground
- Landscaping
- Parking
- Bathrooms
- Shelter
- Roadwork
- Underground utilities
Martin and Cobey is serving as project manager; Alta Planning and Design, AMBL Studios and Morell Engineering worked with Athens on the design; and Recreational Concepts will construct the splash pad and playground.
What Sunrise Park will cost
The cost for furnishings, splash pad and playground, civil and utilities work, general work, site electrical and landscaping is about $6.6 million.
The City of Athens received the more than $1 million in grants and sponsorship offerings for this part of the project and allocated funding from the Athens G.O. Warrants Series 2024 Funds toward a majority of this portion of the project.
Funders thus far are:
- Limestone County Legislative Delegation – $28,967.50 community grant for project
- Dekko Foundation – $250,000 grant toward playground and splash pad
- Tennessee Valley Authority – $50,200 grant for native trees
- Alabama Mountain Lakes RC&D – $7,598 for benches, trash receptacles and picnic tables
- ADEM – $570,841.50 for watershed type activities (native vegetation, permeable pavers, bioswales, etc.)
- ADEM – $100,000 for Phase 1 and Phase 2 environmental testing
- Athens Ladies Civitan – $7,500 toward the wheelchair swing
In addition, Keep Athens-Limestone Beautiful is working with the City to provide volunteer hours and educational outreach for the ADEM grant.
Want to stay in the know about what’s new and happening in and around Huntsville? Follow Hville Blast on Facebook, TikTok and Instagram, and subscribe to our newsletter.
