$40M In Renovations Planned For Fort Worth's Heritage Park

FORT WORTH (CBSDFW.COM) - It's been more than a decade since Heritage Park closed in downtown Fort Worth, a result of public safety concerns.

Now, Fort Worth city leaders say major renovations are being planned.

"We've realize there's some shortcomings around it that need to be overcome so that people enjoy this park more," said Andy Taft, President of Downtown Fort Worth Inc. "The lighting, the pumps, the water, the fountains, the landscaping— those kinds of things that need to be upgraded are gonna be upgraded."

An upgrade at the top of the list? -- Raising the floor of the water channel so visitors don't hurt themselves stepping through the cracks.

Taft says the fundraising goal is about $40 million to give the six-acre park a makeover.

"Thirty (million) of that will be for hard construction costs and 10 million dollars will be for an endowment," Taft said.

Fort Worth residents like Carlos De La Torre say the improvements at Heritage Park means improvement for living in the area.

"The heart of any great city is a great downtown! I'm looking forward to being able to bring my grandkids down here," De La Torre explained. "On the south end of downtown, we have some smaller green spaces but this will provide us a totally different experience!"

Taft says the city of Fort Worth along with community partners involved in this project are aiming to have all renovations completed by 2024, just in time for the 175th anniversary of the founding of Fort Worth.

Downtown Fort Worth Initiatives Inc. and the city of Fort Worth is launching a series of public meetings on Tuesday, April 20 for residents to share their thoughts about Heritage Park's new look.