BEXAR COUNTY AND SAN ANTONIO RIVER AUTHORITY KICK OFF 30-DAY COUNTDOWN TO SAN PEDRO CREEK CULTURE PARK GRAND OPENING
San Pedro Creek Culture Park Debuts on May 5
SAN ANTONIO – With the backdrop of the nearly completed segment 1 of the San Pedro Creek Culture Park, Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff, Commissioner Elizondo and representatives of the San Antonio River Authority officially kicked off the 30-day countdown to the May 5 grand opening. During the news conference, the Culture Park’s new logo was unveiled and the new website was launched.
The completed first segment of the San Pedro Creek Culture Park – stretching from the flood tunnel inlet at N. Santa Rosa Street near Fox Tech High School to Houston Street – will be celebrated with an all-day grand opening event on May 5, 2018. The grand opening event is free and open to the public and will incorporate family friendly fun lining the banks of the Culture Park from noon to 9 p.m., including food trucks, live music, children’s activities and historical presentations – as well as an evening Illumination Ceremony at 7:30 p.m., presented by Bexar County.
“After nearly a year and a half of construction, we’re thrilled to officially begin our countdown to the opening of segment 1,” said Judge Wolff. “The idea for the San Pedro Creek Culture Park was in the works long before we broke ground in September 2016. Today, we begin to make our transition from a construction project to a living, breathing Culture Park that is flowing toward the future with a renewed purpose.”
For the past year, while under construction, this has been referred to the San Pedro Creek Improvements Project. Now with the first segment of phase 1 almost complete, it will officially evolve to the San Pedro Creek Culture Park. A new logo was also revealed today that was inspired by the manantial, or spring, at the center of the Plaza de Fundación. The pattern symbolizes the birth of a city, while the logo is an interpretation using the sun as a symbol for life and beginnings while the blue colors are representative of water.
San Pedro Creek Culture Park’s new website – SPCculturepark.com – was also launched today and will include a variety of ways to learn about and interact with the San Pedro Creek Culture Park. Website features include a virtual tour of 18 stops along the creek so visitors near and far can interact with the Culture Park, video vignettes of each of the artists and their inspiration behind their art pieces featured throughout the Culture Park, as well as extensive plant and animal lists for those who want to learn more about the native flora and fauna of the creek and more.
The world-class linear park is the result of a joint effort by Bexar County, the San Antonio River Authority, and in coordination with the City of San Antonio, to transform San Pedro Creek from a concrete-lined drainage ditch into a natural creek habitat and linear park.
“The idea by the Bexar County Commissioners Court was to create a park where local citizens and visitors could learn and appreciate the roots of local heritage and culture,” said Commissioner Elizondo. “The culturally meaningful endeavor transforms San Pedro Creek into a space for San Antonio families to create and share memories for generations to come, connecting the past with the future.”
In segment 1, four San Antonio artists – Adriana Garcia, Katie Pell, Alex Rubio and Joe Lopez – each created a mural based on four distinct themes that commemorate the rich and interweaving cultures that define this city. Additional artwork commissions include storytelling through historical text and poetry by John Phillip Santos, ceramic artwork representing the historical nature of the nearby street names by Diana Kersey and colorful tiles by Michael Menchaca commemorating the people, culture and history of our community
Exemplifying beauty with a purpose, the San Pedro Creek Culture Park serves as vital infrastructure for a growing downtown – by increasing the depth and width of the existing creek channel – to safely convey floodwaters within San Pedro Creek’s banks. The construction of the channel will fully contain the FEMA floodplain while high paseos that will allow for safe passage up to the 100-year event.
Low-impact development features that help improve water quality include bioswales, specially landscaped features that soak up and filter storm water runoff from hard surfaces and storm water interceptors that capture floating trash at storm water inlets before it reaches the creek, helping to ensure the sustainability of the biotic habitat.
The San Pedro Creek Culture Park will encompass a total of four phases, with three segments in phase 1. The second segment, which goes from Houston Street to Nueva Street, is currently under construction. When the four phases are completed, the San Pedro Creek Culture Park will span 2.2 miles through downtown.
In total, construction on the San Pedro Creek Culture Park will add more than 60,000 linear feet of new walls, replace eight street bridges and all associated utilities while adding four miles of walking trails and 11 acres of landscaping. Once fully complete, the San Pedro Creek Culture Park is expected to spur a $1.5 billion economic impact by creating 2,100 new housing units, 1,428 new downtown employees, 7,300 new downtown residents, a 150 percent increase in new property value and $227 million in ad valorem tax revenues.
“ The San Antonio River Authority is honored to be a part of this project to restore San Pedro Creek’s natural environment and create a world-class linear park – with a purpose that goes well beyond just being beautiful and enjoyable,” said Suzanne Scott, SARA General Manager. “It combines public art, architectural design and historic preservation with engineering, ecosystem restoration and native landscaping to create a one-of-a-kind Culture Park experience.”
For more information on San Pedro Creek Culture Park and the grand opening events, go to SPCculturepark.com.
###
MEDIA CONTACTS:
Monica Trevino-Ortega Anamaria Suescun-Fast
San Antonio River Authority The DeBerry Group
Office; 210-302-3257 Office: 210-223-2772
Cell: 210-204-7875 Cell: 210-363-2673
