Mayor Sylvester Turner, the Mayor’s Office of Complete Communities, and the Houston Parks and Recreation Department will unveil the newly renovated Zurrie Malone Park on Saturday, July 24, 2021. The park is located at 2901 Nettleton in Third Ward. To celebrate the event the Parks Department is hosting its inaugural Love Our Parks Fest at Malone Park from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The fest will feature family-friendly activities and programming from Houston Parks and Recreation, Houston Public Library, HPD’s Greater Houston Police Activities League (GHPAL), and other City departments.
“One of my top priorities is to improve parks in under-resourced communities so that people do not have to leave their neighborhoods and travel across town to enjoy beautiful amenities and green space,” said Mayor Sylvester Turner. “I grew up visiting parks like Zurrie Malone, and I recognize that a well-maintained park can bring people together for celebrations and activities. But it requires investment and commitment to ensure that every park remains accessible and inviting to the communities they serve. That is why the Love Our Parks program is important.”
Cheniere Energy is an important community partner for this project. Their generous contribution helped secure the artist for the project, and their volunteers helped build a retaining wall at the park.
“Cheniere Energy is proud to call Houston our headquarters and more importantly our home,” said Zach Davis, Cheniere’s Senior Vice President and CFO. “Part of being a good community partner is supporting the communities in which we work and live and for that reason we are pleased to partner with Mayor Sylvester Turner and the Houston Parks and Recreation Department on the renovation of this park.”
The Malone Park improvements include new playground equipment, new roofing for the basketball court, a new basketball court surface, new park furnishings, a pergola, new fencing, landscaping, and public art by local artist Israel McCloud.
“The completion of this project marks a special day for the Parks and Recreation Department, and this Third Ward community,” said Kenneth Allen, Interim Director, Houston Parks and Recreation Department. “When we began discussions on what improvements we would bring to Malone Park, we spoke to the people who live next door to this neighborhood park. This project, and the ones to follow, is proof to those Houstonians that we see you, we hear you, and we’re here for you.”
The Mayor Sylvester Turner Love Our Parks Complete Communities initiative is a collaborative effort created by the Mayor to improve and upgrade neighborhood parks in under-resourced Houston communities. The first phase focuses on five neighborhood parks – Malone Park and Our Park in Third Ward, Catherine Delce Park in Kashmere Gardens, Earl Henderson Park in Near North Houston, and Woodruff Park in the Magnolia-Manchester community.
Zurrie Malone Park is in City Council District D, represented by City Council Member Carolyn Evans-Shabazz. For more information on the Houston Parks and Recreation Department, please visit www.HoustonParks.org