Legacy Play Village will not rebuild, requests termination of agreement with City of Lubbock

LUBBOCK, Texas (KCBD) - As the 20-year agreement comes to an end, The Friends of Legacy Play Village will request the Lubbock City Council end the arrangement that allows it to operate the playground at McAlister Park because it no longer wishes to utilize the land.

The council will take up the request on May 10, according to the agenda for its regular meeting.

Friends of Legacy Play Village, Community Playground Corporation, a nonprofit organization, first entered into the agreement in September of 2002 to construct, maintain and operate Legacy Play Village, a community built playground. It opened in late 2002 as the largest of its kind in North America, according to the Junior League of Lubbock which was its founding donor.

In 2018, the playground was closed and later demolished due to safety issues.

The Next Generation Steering Committee was formed in 2018 to explore, design, and manage a project to rebuild the Legacy Play Village. Designs were developed and fundraising began for what was expected to be a $1.4 million project.

Construction was delayed due to pandemic circumstances with completion expected in October of 2021. At the time of the delay, the steering committee said the extra time would allow it, “to ensure that the funds and materials needed are in place and also provides much-needed time to plan for any extraordinary volunteer health and safety concerns during the build itself.”

According to the City of Lubbock, the plan to rebuild did not come to fruition.

“Their board came to us and said that they were going to fold at this point,” Director of Lubbock Parks & Recreation Colby VanGundy told KCBD. “What were the legal portions that they needed to get with us because they had a lease with us? Tomorrow’s council item is legally ending that lease portion.”

Online fundraising and the website legacyplayvillage.com are no longer active.

VanGundy said there are plans in the Parks Master Plan to build a new playground at McAlister Park. That would be in addition to work with the playa lake and a pickleball facility.

“Things that have come into that plan that we’re working through is a playground, splash pad, a multi-court purpose area, a potential skatepark and some other amenities like that,” VanGundy said. “We’re nailing those downs and making sure that we’ve got everything in that master plan that we’re going to need.”

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