Two deteriorating wooden pergolas that had been in Carrollton’s Alice Park since it was built 20 years ago have been replaced with new, upgraded metal structures.
“The pergolas were in bad disrepair,” said Randall Eidson, detail officer/project manager for the Carrollton Police Department. “Vines had overcome them so we cut back the vines and tore the wooden structures down.”
Eidson, leading a crew of Carroll County inmates, designed and built the new metal pergolas and supports and welded them at city shops at the East Carrollton Recreation Complex and on Bradley Street. They were installed by crane and forklift with the help of the city’s Facilities Maintenance employees. Workers also repaired concrete around the bases of the pergolas, painted the structures black and painted the concrete to match the brick.
The price tag for the project was just over $9,000. Eidson estimated city employees doing almost all the labor saved the city around $6,000. The improvements to the park took just over a month to complete.
Two houses that once sat on the property at the intersection of Tanner and East Center streets in Carrollton’s In-Town South Historic District had become dilapidated by the late 1990s. Roy Richards, Jr., (the park is named after his late mother, Alice H. Richards) bought the property and donated it to the city. Alice Park was built with donations from the community in 2000.
“Concerned neighbors worked together to clean up a blighted spot and it became a nice property,” said Parks Director Kent Johnston. “It has been a very positive addition to the community.”
Johnston said the park is a popular spot for weddings, hosting several ceremonies each year.
The new pergolas join Alice Park’s other signature fixture, a water feature that was renovated a few years ago, as the park enters its third decade.
As a finishing touch to the project, Facilities Maintenance electrician, Jeremy Mashburn, wired the pergola at the park’s entrance for electricity and installed a lantern-style light fixture, formerly used at the Depot on Bradley, on it.
“I wish everybody would go by at night and see it.” said Eidson. “It looks beautiful,”
Alice Park rents for $75 for a half-day and $100 for a day. For more information on park reservations, contact Janice Kerr at 770.832.1161.
