PRESIDIO — At last Thursday’s meeting, Patricia Runyan and Public Works Director Cesar Leyva gave the Presidio Municipal Development District (PMDD) an update on ongoing construction at Daly Park. Construction had originally been slated to end in December, but the AARP Foundation — which selected Presidio as a grant recipient — allowed a six-month extension to finish the project.
The park’s transformation was originally the brainchild of former PMDD Executive Director Jeran Stephens, who envisioned a future for the space as a cultural hub. “It’s a family oriented space — it should be better and more accessible,” she said at a meeting in June of last year.
Presidio was awarded a grant of $31,075 to the park’s upgrades, which included a revamped band shell, new playground equipment, a workout space for adults and a mural by artist Ramon Deanda. Stephens had hoped that the improved musical space and dancefloor would attract more musical programming — including a slot for Presidio during the annual Viva Big Bend Festival.
As of last week’s meeting, there was a balance of $8,000 yet to be spent. Runyan — who had been tapped to oversee the project as a grant administrator — helped guide a discussion about how the money should be disbursed.
She cautioned the PMDD board to not stray too far from the original grant application, which focused on improving the park experience for seniors and children. “[AARP] would prefer that the remaining money be spent in the original spirit of the work,” she said. “Go over to the park, pretend you’re 10 years old and imagine what the best use of that money would be.”
Runyan took an interest in the project because of her heritage as a fourth-generation Presidian and a direct descendent of the park’s namesake, Fernando Daly — the first Presidian to serve in the United States military. Both the park and a nearby street bear his name, honoring his service as a cavalryman in France during World War I.
Because of the hard work of Public Works Director Cesar Leyva and his crew, no outside contractors were needed to finish the project. Help from the City of Presidio helped stretch the grant’s budget to address as many concerns as possible.
One of their biggest challenges has been making the park more accessible to people with disabilities — including a swing that can accommodate users in wheelchairs. Despite the high price tag, Leyva and Runyan felt that those upgrades were worth it in the spirit of inclusivity. “For anyone that can use that, it will be an extraordinary opportunity,” Runyan said.
An important next step in the process will include gathering community feedback. The group agreed to meet privately to tour the park and to set up a town hall where community members can make suggestions about what they would like to see the remaining grant money go toward — and what their visions for the space will be.
As someone whose own memories of the park span generations, Runyan felt passionately about planning for the park’s long-term future. “A master plan is essential,” she said. “What is the park going to need to be truly viable?”
