Major upgrade of City Park planned

GAINESVILLE - Gainesville Parks & Recreation Director Melvin Cooper said Tuesday he is looking for a public-private partnership to finance a multi-million dollar renovation of City Park.

Cooper said serious discussions about the project began about two months ago.

The needs include a upgrade to the athletic field, which is used by school and parks and recreation teams; renovated fieldhouses; expanded visitor seating; and better pedestrian access.

Cooper says the first priority is work on the field - and that the entire project, expected to cost about $4.9 million, will be done in phases.

He said the upgrade to the field would probably cost about $500,000.