City of McAllen to Inaugurate New Uvalde Soccer Fields

The City of McAllen’s Parks & Recreation Department is set to inaugurate the newly revamped Uvalde Soccer Field at 2801 Uvalde Ave, McAllen, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Wednesday, February 21, 2024, from 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m.

Uvalde Park, once a brush landfill in the late 1960s and early 1970s, has undergone a remarkable transformation into a vibrant green space, thanks to consistent efforts and federal funding allocated since 2011. Over the years, the park has witnessed significant improvements, culminating in the latest endeavor aimed at enhancing recreational opportunities for residents and visitors alike.

With CDBG Funds, Uvalde park has received the following improvements:

● 2011 $49,775 for the playscape and to initiate the parking lot

● 2012 $127,633 for the completion of the parking lot

● 2013 $96,000 for the addition of the bathroom and walking trail

The project being unveiled this week:

● 2019 $280,391 for the addition of MUSCO Field Lighting to convert the green space to soccer fields.

AEP and the Parks & Recreation Department worked together to supply the first LED lighting for the fields. Installation of the MUSCO Lighting was completed in February of 2021 by Zitro Electric. McAllen Parks and Recreation’s Building maintenance electricians completed all of the conduit work and lighting connections. MUSCO lighting is designed specifically for playing fields to concentrate light on the field and avoid overspray to surrounding neighborhoods. Once lights were complete, the Parks & Recreation Department began the process of resetting irrigation and leveling soil, and reseeding to create the 3 Soccer fields. The finished product is the three 11 v 11 soccer fields for use by the community and associations with options to split the larger fields for youth play.

“We look forward to officially turning on lights this evening for all to enjoy the park, trail, and newly established soccer fields,” said Denny Meline, director of McAllen Parks & Recreation.