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Howard Park eyed for $1.4 million makeover By Damian Mann Jan 03, 2023 12:15 AM A A Howard Park adjacent to Howard Elementary School in west Medford is poised for a major renovation. [City of Medford photo] An upcoming $1,470,300 renovation of a neighborhood park at Howard Elementary will create a splash in west Medford. Medford City Council next Thursday will formally accept a $714,300 Oregon Parks and Recreation Department grant that will offset almost half the cost of the project. Based on suggestions from local residents and the school, the 9.2-acre Howard Park along Mace Road will get a splash pad, a playground and new restroom. Existing fields and pathways will be refurbished, and the park will get better drainage and lighting. A sport court will be upgraded to allow for a variety of activities such as basketball and pickleball. Medford parks is completing the engineering for the park and hopes to put the project out to bid in spring 2023. “We’ll do the renovation as quickly as possible,” said Rich Rosenthal, Medford parks director. “We hope to be substantially complete in 2023.” He said the master plan for the park was developed in 2016, but the upgrade was delayed to allow more time to get the dollars needed for the work. In March 2022, Medford applied for a competitive grant from the state. The grant requires completion of the project by Dec. 31, 2024. Oregon Parks and Recreation Department has disbursed over $70 million throughout the state for outdoor recreation projects since 1999. The grants are funded from Oregon Lottery dollars. Medford has received nearly $3 million of these grants over the years for Lithia & Driveway Fields, Lone Pine Park, Oregon Hills Park, Prescott Park, Cedar Links Park and Bear Creek Park. Medford parks has been upgrading a number of older parks over the past decade, as well as building new parks. “Rejuvenating older facilities is every bit as good as building new ones,” Rosenthal said. “Giving this very important park in the neighborhood a facelift was a top priority.” This will be the sixth splash pad featured at neighborhood parks once the Howard project is completed. Rosenthal said the open fields in the park will remain, with most of the newer features clustered near the parking areas by the school. Most of the existing trees will be retained in the park, but more trees will be added. A new interpretive area for native vegetation and a butterfly garden will be available for the school and the neighborhood. Existing tennis courts will be redesigned to include a new basketball court and a pickleball court. Benches and picnic tables throughout the park will have pavement beneath them. The existing softball field will remain, and it was once the primary softball field in the city until the opening of Lithia & Driveway Fields. Reach freelance writer Damian Mann at [email protected]. A site plan shows planned improvements at Howard Park in Medford. [Courtesy drawing]