Please take a moment to read this brief history of the park
written by Buddy and Jane Hebert.
(click the picture to view more)
The Beginning of the End
Say Good-bye to the park as we know it.
(Dec 6, 2008)
(click the picture to view more)
I posted my comment to the
Beaumont Enterprise web page and cc'd Mayor Becky Ames, Councilman Jamie Smith, and Jerry Jordan of The Examiner.
No surprise, I had no response.
From: Sherry
Date: 12/22/2008 7:22:58 PM
To: Jerry Jordan (The Examiner); Mayor Becky Ames; Councilman Jamie Smith
Subject: regarding Alice Keith Park community center
It's good that the SP residents will have a community center.
However, it's a crying shame that the planners didn't stop at least momentarily to think that locating the center on Reed next to the pool, or where the old community center is on Lavaca (what happens to it?) that the esthetics of the park could be preserved on the main thoroughfare, Highland. They could have even incorporated the two-dimension above-ground pool entrance, used it as the center’s entrance. That would have been cool and given that wall a purpose. But no, rip into the beauty of the park, cover the grounds with walls and cement and call it "progress."
Regarding the pavilion, the article is unclear -- renovated and converted -- are they walling up the breezeway? Why couldn’t they restore it, have local bands and other arts to perform there? There's literally dozens of rundown places to renovate to house a police substation and improve at least one eye sore in the neighborhood. But no, another landmark in SP --gone!
(edit upon further info -- yes, they are walling it in.)
With the impending destruction of SP school, and now the park, about all that SP Neighborhood has left to call its own is the water tower!
