San Antonio Parks and Recreation receives $1.5M state grant

Published on January 25, 2024

Funds to support the Cassiano Park Revitalization Project

SAN ANTONIO (January 25, 2024) – The City of San Antonio Parks and Recreation Department was awarded a $1.5 million grant today by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission to fund the Cassiano Park Revitalization Project on the city’s historic West Side. Through a competitive grant process, San Antonio Parks and Recreation’s application received the highest score among all submissions and was among a small group of Texas cities awarded the maximum funding of $1.5 million. 

“Today’s action represents the advocacy by our West Side community, neighborhood leaders, City Council, City leadership and State leadership who came together to support a shared vision for the future of Cassiano Park,” said Homer Garcia III, Director of Parks and Recreation. “With $3.75 million already dedicated to the revitalization project through a 2022 municipal bond package, $1.5 million from the TPWD Local Park Grant Program elevates the project toward a truly impactful moment for the Cassiano Park community.” As part of the 2022 bond, the Department of Arts & Culture will be working on a public art installation at Cassiano Park. Additional funding is being allocated from the City Council District 5 Office and from the Tree Mitigation and Tree Canopy Fund.

The project will increase outdoor recreational opportunities at Cassiano Park, a 2.89-acre linear park nestled within a bend of Apache Creek along the Westside Creeks section of the Howard W. Peak Greenway Trail System. Current amenities include a pool and pool house, two playgrounds, a pavilion, picnic sites, a covered basketball court, men’s and women’s restroom buildings, and a trailhead connection. 

Public input meetings were held at the park to gather feedback from the community. “Through a public engagement process, we listened and took that feedback as a call to action to seek opportunities and additional resources through this grant opportunity,” noted Garcia. Priority goals for the project include: 

• increased recreational aquatics accessibility for multigenerational park visitors of differing abilities 
• preservation of the park’s cultural and historic significance, including the park’s role in supporting local labor and social justice movements such as the 1938 San Antonio Pecan Shellers Strike 
• provide opportunities to experience nature in an urban park setting, increase shade, and mitigate the heat island impact by incorporating native and riparian landscaping
• provide equitable access to high quality parks and recreational opportunities to historically marginalized communities 

Final design is anticipated to be completed by Fall 2024 with construction anticipated to begin in Spring 2025.