Commissioners christen new park ‘Camp McAllen’

The McAllen City Commission voted Monday to name a new 20-acre park on the northside of town Camp McAllen, which a survey found was the third-most popular name with residents.

 

 

Formerly known as the Kappler Property, the undeveloped land the park will be built on is located at 8701 N. 23rd Street.

 

A 2017 master plan for the city’s parks described that property — home to just a pond, trees and shrubs — as an ideal site for birding and a one of just three nature centers, though it wasn’t open to the public.

 

A survey conducted by the city found developing nature centers to be the residents’ second highest ranked parks priority.

 

“Funding for these properties will remain a priority as they are not only for residents but are tourist attraction (sic),” the plan says. “Environmental conservation is a large tourism market and these sites have proven to be environmental (sic) sensitive and should be protected.”

 

The city broke ground on a $1.86 million development of the property in October, aiming to capitalize on the site’s natural amenities.

 

 

The park is slated to include a walking trail, an archery range, camping pads, a group pavilion, restroom facilities and piers for fishing and boating.

 

Improvements are expected to be completed this year.

 

Denny Meline, the city’s director of parks and recreation, recommended commissioners name that new park Camp McAllen at their meeting Monday, noting that the name aligns with other facilities in town.

 

Mayor Javier Villalobos, jocularly calling for a vote on the recommendation, described the appeal of the new name as being in its simplicity.

 

“Do I have a first and a second on a very simple name that people will remember and want to go to?” he said. “Remind them of summer camp, or something.”

 

The name passed unanimously.

 

Last month the city solicited the public’s opinion on what the name should be called: Escondido Verde, McAllen Campground, Camp McAllen, Camp Kappler or some other name.

 

“The ‘Name Our New Park’ survey represents a unique opportunity for our community to shape the identity of this exciting new addition to our city,” City Manager Isaac J. Tawil wrote in a release. “We value our residents’ input and believe that their feedback will help us create a park that truly reflects the spirit and aspirations of our community. Your participation is crucial in making this vision a reality and we look forward to seeing the creative and meaningful names our residents will propose.”

 

The survey generated 656 responses.

 

 

Most people, a little over a third, suggested some alternative to the city’s listed options, though there was no clear consensus in those suggestions.

 

The majority of the public’s suggestions were predictable, among them names of local leaders and variations that included the city’s name or nature themes.

 

The city also received some more humorous responses, like “Parky McParkface” and “Takuache Park,” along with others, like “Donald J. Trump Park” and “Detainment Camp,” that appear to have been inspired by current events.

 

Almost a quarter of the respondents voted for Escondido Verde, making it the most popular name, and about 20% voted for McAllen Campground.

 

Camp McAllen came in third, with only 13% of the respondents choosing it.

 

Camp Kappler, the fourth of the city’s suggestions, received 8% of the vote.