Named in 2007 for long-time environment and green space advocate Bonnie Conner, this park officially opened to the public on Saturday, February 14, 2009. It featured a pavilion, playground, two picnic units and a drinking fountain, in addition to parking. Funded from 2003 and 2007 park bonds, the capital project cost was $508,614.
The 24-acre property purchased by the City of San Antonio in 2004 shares the space with the John Igo Library, which provides access through its parking lot off Kyle Seale Parkway.
Councilwoman Bonnie Conner was elected to the San Antonio City Council in 1999 and re-elected in 2001, serving two, accomplishment-filled terms. She was active in several community service capacities prior to her council service, including co-authoring the city’s Tree Preservation Ordinance. She also formed Friends of Medina River, a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving a river corridor in south San Antonio.
From 1997 to 1998, she served on the Parks and Recreation Board and the Open Space Advisory Board. She also successfully developed the Proposition 1 and 3 initiatives, which used sales tax revenues to purchase sensitive land over the Edwards Aquifer Recharge Zone. She served on the Edwards Aquifer Authority Board of Directors from 2004 to 2008.
She chaired the Citizens Bond Park Committee and was active in the bonds’ passage and the Voelcker Park acquisition, now known as Phil Hardberger Park. She served as President of the Phil Hardberger Park Conservancy and the Conservation Advisory Board.
Conner has served as the President of the Friends of the Parks, an auxiliary organization of the San Antonio Parks Foundation, where she also serves on the Board of Directors. Conner served on the Master Plan Committee for the Japanese Tea Garden and has closely coordinated the renovation of the Garden in conjunction with the San Antonio Parks Foundation.
Prior to her career in public service, she taught in public schools for 21 years in Edgewood, San Antonio and Northside Independent School Districts.